Storm Driven
by xbLuex
Summary: Lightning, being the good soldier she always was, finds her life turned upside down when she rescues a young redhead one day. - Lanille
1. Blinded by Light

**A/N:** Yes, I wrote another Final Fantasy fanfic, and no, it's not a FLight fic, it's Lanille! I actually wanted to make this story a oneshot, but when I was in the middle of writing this chapter the ideas of a longer fanfic just spread out in front of me, so I decided I could give it a try and write a longer one. Anyways, I'm curious to see how you guys like the first chapter. Have fun reading it =)

**Warning:** Female/Female (Lightning/Vanille … for now)! Don't like it? … guys, it's simple, just don't read it ;)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Blinded by Light

I'm sitting in a cave. Right in front of me lies a girl. A young woman, probably not much younger than I am, her hair a red color, and she's still wearing them in two pigtails. I think she's asleep. But she's mumbling something I can't make out. Maybe she's having a nightmare.

I lean my head back against the hard wall of the cave. If I only had some wood, then I could make a fire. It's freezing in here. I see the girl shivering. I sigh, looking up and down her body. She has bruises all over her and I had to bandage her arm because she had a deep wound there.

How we landed here? I sigh … that's a long story …

_flashback_

"Sergeant Farron?" I hear a deep, male voice calling out my name. I turn to see Lieutenant Amodar approaching me, so I salute. "Lieutenant."

"On the horizon we can already make out a village called Oerba. We will attack tomorrow morning, before sunrise. Tell your troops to gather for tonight." he orders, pointing out the location, and I simply reply with a: "Sir." my gaze already fixed on where he showed me.

"It seems like it's only a small village." he adds and I look at the Lieutenant again. "Shouldn't take long to destroy it. It's said to be overrun by Cie'th, wild monsters, and even l'Cie."

I only nod once in acknowledgement. The number of Pulse-Gates on Cocoon started to increase. Wild monster from this strange, foreign, and yet quite beautiful planet were roaming on Cocoon. The Sanctum's orders are simple and strict about preventing those monsters from coming. Travel to Pulse and kill as many as possible, since it seems rather impossible to close the gates. The army was sent here first, but then also PSICOM and us, the Guardian Corps. We usually were only responsible for the safety _on_ Cocoon, defending the citizens … but now we're the ones attacking.

I personally never was too fond of this war, or of the idea of attacking another planet, but orders are orders. And losing my job was, and still is, no option.

I say: "Maybe we should be a little more careful when there are l'Cie as well. We don't know their powers."

I take my binoculars from my bag, which is strapped to my left thigh, and observe the village. I hear the lieutenant telling me: "I don't think they're a threat. We outnumber them."

I suddenly see a body running across my vision, which looks like the one of a girl. I put the binoculars away and say: "Sir, I think I just saw a person running in the village."

The lieutenant chuckles at that statement, and replies: "I highly doubt that, sergeant. Did you see the monsters? A person wouldn't survive a minute."

I look through the binoculars again, searching the village for the girl again, but I can't spot her. I don't know why, but I have a really bad feeling about attacking this village. I never had a feeling like this before attacking. Something inside of me tells me not to do it, especially now that I saw this person. I know she was there!

"Sir, maybe we could investigate a little closer this one time. What if innocents get killed?" I suggest. The lieutenant looks at me a little surprised. It's not very much like me to consider an attack. I'm sure he's thinking that right now as well.

"We will attack in the morning, sergeant." he simply states. I ball my hand into a fist. For once I wish I had a higher rank. I don't like this feeling in my guts! I wish I could convey my feelings better, but on the other hand I know he's right. I must try again: "But, sir- "

"That is an order, Farron." he interrupts me. I simply salute and nod. I should watch what I'm doing and saying, otherwise I'll be sent back home, jobless. Feelings have little place in a war and in the military, that's the reason I joined the Guardian Corps in the first place. I usually never had a problem with keeping my feelings in place, so why should they take the overhand now?

The Lieutenant just smiles at me shortly, then tells me: "You should get some rest, sergeant. Tomorrow is another tough day. You're dismissed."

I do as he tells me and also now gather my troops to set up a camp for the night.

Tired from the day I plop down in my sleeping bag, crossing my arms behind my head. Although, as much as I try to fall asleep, my thoughts always drift back to the girl I saw in the village. I sigh. Maybe I'm just making things up. I really just should get some sleep …

ooo

I'm clutching my gunblade tightly while I'm running through the dark, towards the village. I just couldn't sleep last night. I was tossing and turning but the girl didn't get out of my head. So I gathered my stuff and snuck out of the camp. If the lieutenant finds out about my absence I will have a lot of explaining to do, but if I don't check this village and see for myself that nobody's here, I might not attack tomorrow, and I might lose my job, and again, that's no option.

The attack tomorrow? We would shoot missiles to literally turn the place into rubble. And everything that's still running we usually kill them ourselves. Luckily we never found a human body before … but who knows about this village.

The reason why we're attacking Pulse villages … well, we realized that most of the gates back to Cocoon are close to the villages. And the villages we've seen so far were infested with monsters, creatures, Cie'th … and these monsters come to Cocoon through those gates. It's as simple as that.

As I finally reach my destination I can't see a lot of movement going on in the village. The monsters seem to be asleep as well. I rush over to a house, pressing my back against the wall. I slowly move to the edge and scan the area from one end to the other. It's a little open space. No human being. Monsters all over the place. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, in relief. I probably am tired from the long day today, making things up.

Okay, I better head back. Or should I take a look into the houses? Damn … this would take too long. I must be satisfied with the fact that I didn't see a person out here, I must control my emotions again …

I breathe in and out slowly once … now … I'll head back. I start to sneak away when I suddenly hear a quiet whimper. And that whimper was one of a human … from a girl! My ears never failed me before. I knew someone was here! I hear the whimper again and it was coming right out of the window, which is only a few feet above me, of the house I'm pressed up against.

I jump up, getting a hold on the window ledge and I push myself up, taking out my gunblade and leaving it in its gun form, automatically pointing inside the window.

The first thing I spot is a girl, her eyes shut tightly and it looks like she's in a lot of pain. I can see little cuts and scratches all over her body. Her clothes, even though she doesn't seem to be wearing much, are ripped in several places. She has red hair, wearing them in pigtails, and her bangs are hanging messily into her face.

I then spot the source of her pain. It's a wolf-like creature, which has its fangs bored into the flesh of her upper left arm, and I see a lot of blood streaming out of the wound. I have to act quickly and precisely. If I wait any longer the thing will bite her arm off, but if I shoot it now it might not let go and die like this.

I decide to do the only logical thing that comes to my mind, and shout: "Hey!" to get its attention. To my dismay it only looks at me but doesn't let go of her arm. I frown and aim at its hind leg, shooting it there, and as soon as it lets out a shriek of pain, opening its mouth in the process and finally letting the girl go, I shoot it right between the eyes. The creature falls limply to the floor. The shot was lethal.

I carefully scan the room for more monsters, but so far it seems empty, so I hurry over to the girl, kneeling down beside her and touching her shoulder lightly. "Can you hear me?" I ask her.

Her eyes fly open at the sound of my voice. A meadow green meets my icy blue. I don't remember ever seeing eyes like hers before. She opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by a loud 'thud' on the door. Crap, the noise must've woken the other monsters. I say: "We don't have much time." and I start lifting her onto my back. She's not very heavy, to my luck.

I stand up, tying my cape around us to secure her and then look around the room. The only exits are the door, which is blocked by monsters and whatever is out there, and the window I came through. My choice is simple and I jump onto the window ledge again, and look down outside. It's not too high up, but with another person on my back the landing might be a little rougher.

"Are you alright?" I ask and I hear a quiet and weak voice replying: "Yes … " I take a short breath and then carefully jump down, trying to land as softly as possible. At the impact with the ground she moans quietly in pain, but then tells me: "Still alright … " before I even ask her. It's the first time I can make out that she has a different accent, but I quickly concentrate on my surroundings again.

I start running back into the direction I came from but I am quickly caught off by monsters. I draw my gunblade and flick it into the sword form, but also still keep running. Unfortunately I am soon fighting my way through until I spot an open space. This is my chance to escape! I start running again … faster than I ever ran before …

The monsters quickly lose track of me and I'm running alone in the open. I look around, searching for the camp but I can't find it. I hear howling and growling behind me and I start running again. I don't even know if it's a good idea to look for the camp with all those monsters chasing me.

After a long while of running across a wide open area I spot a cave and decide to go there, hoping that no bigger monster is waiting inside. I have the feeling that on Pulse everything is possible.

As I stand in front of the cave I stop shortly to peek inside and listen for any suspicious noises. Good, nothing so far. I decide to walk into it. I scan the area carefully again, but there really is nothing. It's not even a deep cave, so hopefully for tonight it's a good hideout. I then lay the girl down again.

I think she passed out on the way here as she became heavier and heavier every minute. I examine her again, only to find the deep wound on her upper left arm again, which is still bleeding. She must've lost quite a lot of blood on the way here, no wonder she passed out. She also has a very unhealthy pale face … no, her whole body is really pale, actually.

I take a bandage out of my bag, which is tied around my left thigh again, and fix up the wound. After I finished I look towards the exit. I can't hear the monsters, only the quiet of the night. And on Pulse it's very quiet at night. The only thing I can do now is wait for the sun to rise. I might see quite well in the dark, but still not very far. I sigh … I'm in trouble …

_end flashback_

My head is still leaned back against the hard and cold rock wall of the cave, and I'm looking at the ceiling. It's daytime already, but I haven't left the cave yet. I want the girl to wake up when I'm still here. I don't want her to flee or anything. Plus, I'm in big trouble already, so it really doesn't matter when I return to the camp.

I also haven't heard an explosion of missiles. I wonder if they're waiting for me to attack or if I'm simply too far away to hear it. I hardly doubt that, though.

I suddenly see the girl stirring again. Is she having another dream?

Then her eyes open slowly. At first she's just staring at the ceiling, just like I did before, but then she quickly sits up and looks around, a little in panic. Her right hand then finds her upper left arm, where the wound, and now the bandage is, and she eyes it carefully.

"Careful." I say in a quiet and calm voice so I don't spook her. Her perfect, green eyes find mine, her look is confused. "D-did … you do this?" she asks me. Her voice is still weak, and she sounds insecure. "I cleaned it and bandaged it, if that's what you mean."

She only nods and examines the white cloth around her arm again, before saying a quiet: "Thanks … " I realize, especially now that the cave is lit by the sunlight, her natural skin color is back. She still is pale, but not like last night.

I watch her as she looks down herself, searching out all the bruises. I don't know why I'm curious about it, really I could care less, but before I can control my voice I ask: "What's your name?" I almost say it in an angry tone. Angry about myself for not being able to contain myself from asking. But I feel like I'm dying to know it.

"Vanille." she tells me, still looking at her bruises, but then looks up at me. "Oerba Dia Vanille. And yours?"

She sounds so cheerful, even though she's probably still in a lot of pain, she even smiles a little. I tell her: "Lightning Farron."

She then looks out of the cave shortly. I wonder what's going on in her head … not that I'd ever ask. As she looks back at me she asks: "Why did you save me? How did you know I was there?"

"I … " but I drift off. Why did I save her? Well, that's easy. I didn't want innocent people to get killed. But should I really tell her that I'm from the Guardian Corps? I decide to answer as neutrally as possible: "I saw you running around the village yesterday. And I thought you might need a hand with all those monsters."

She only nods in acknowledgement, the small smile still evident on her face. Silence is now filling the cave. I don't mind the silence. I usually like it … not talking. But there are things I should know, which are relevant for me, as a soldier, so I decide to ask, and break the silence: "Are there others in the village?"

To this she only shakes her head no. Now I can't help but wonder: "And what were you doing there, all alone?"

She drops hear head and doesn't hesitate to reply: "I was looking for others, for survivors, like me." She lifts her head up to look at the bandage again, and then continues: "Not even two weeks ago we were overrun by the monsters. My friend took me with her and we fled alone. Only us two. That's why I came back, I wanted to find others of my village."

I cross my arms. So they were overrun by monsters. "Why were you overrun in first place?" I ask. Isn't it their own fault if they live on a planet like this? I mean, on the other hand, they should know how to defend themselves, they obviously did so far.

She shrugs. "We heard from other villages that the vipers from Cocoon started attacking Gran Pulse. That made the wildlife search out new places to stay … so they found us."

I suddenly feel extremely guilty. So, like I already thought, she's from Pulse … and we, the 'vipers' from Cocoon, we just raided their home planet. I never knew why I hated this mission, to attack Pulse, but now I do. We went on this mission without further investigation and probably destroyed families, maybe even whole villages or cities … I feel anger crawling up in me. I'm angry at the Sanctum … angry at PSICOM and the GC … and at myself, for just following orders blindly.

"You're from Cocoon as well, are you?" her voice fills the quiet cave, echoing on the walls. I only nod as a reply. Her voice sounds hurt and a lot more vulnerable at the next question, as she already knows the answer: "And you're one of them … the ones who are attacking, right?"

Again I nod but also sigh. Her gaze drops to the floor and she's slumping a little. She looks defeated. She looks miserable. I feel sorry for her and I'm getting more and more angry at myself.

"Then where are the other soldiers?" she asks, her voice cracking a little, but she also sounds angry. This is my chance to tell her that I don't mean her any harm. I should take it. I should talk, for a change. And I do: "I snuck out of the camp last night because, like I already told you, I spotted you yesterday. I never wanted anyone to get killed … in fact, I never wanted to go on this mission."

With an angry glare she throws back: "Then why did you come here in first place?!" She even raised her voice a little.

I drop my head in defeat. I'm being mentally beaten up by a girl, I can hardly believe it … but she has a point, I couldn't even argue, even if I wanted to. So I reply, honestly: "I don't know … because if I hadn't accepted this quest I would've been fired … but … if I hadn't been there yesterday you would've been killed … so … "

She still looks at me, tensely, but then her features relax a little and she sighs. "That's true … " she admits.

There's an awkward silence now hanging in the cave. I sigh. I hate awkward silences, they make me nervous. I stand up. I better get back to the camp. I have a lot of explaining to do. I just don't know what to tell my troops. Or what I should tell the lieutenant. They probably won't believe a thing. I sigh and start brushing the dust off of my clothes and then heading towards the exit of the cave.

"Where are you going?" the girl, named Vanille, asks me, her voice is sad again. I turn around to face her. She's still sitting in the middle of the cave, legs pulled against her body with her arms wrapped around them, her chin resting on her knees and she has a very sad expression on her face. The sight makes me feel really sorry for her. Since when do I ever feel sorry about anyone?

"Back to the camp, I guess." I tell her, crossing my arms. Where else should I go? Her look turns a little angry again and she asks: "And you're gonna continue attacking our land like before?"

Again she punches me in the face, mentally of course. I clench my hands tightly into a fist. People don't just win arguments against me like that! I snap back: "What else should I do?!"

She lifts her head from her knees and responds: "You could try to stop them." her voice sounding small.

I raise one eyebrow at her. She really thinks it's that easy, does she? Tch, innocent, little child. I contain the anger I'm holding and tell her, calmly: "I don't think that I, alone, without any evidence, can make them change their minds." I clench my teeth. Only thinking about trying to talk to Lieutenant Amodar yesterday makes me angry. I continue: "I asked the lieutenant to investigate your village a little further, to see if people are there, but he didn't even think about it and told me to attack this morning!" My voice turned angrier at the end of the sentence. Why am I rambling now? I take a deep breath again to control my emotions.

The girl looks at me a little in disbelief. Her green eyes searching mine for any evidence that what I just said is true.

"You … " she starts in a quiet voice. "You save me at the risk of losing your job? Even though it seems like your job means a lot to you … I don't know what to say … " She places her head back onto her knees.

I sigh. Why does she make me feel so guilty? Why does she make me feel like my job is not so important to me? Maybe because this is not the job that I wanted? I then state without thinking: "Better to save a life and lose my job than keeping my job but having to live with the fact of killing an innocent person if I could've prevented it."

Did … I really just say that out loud? That my job is not so important to me? Thinking about it is one thing … but saying it out loud … I … must contain my thoughts again. I should just shut up! Must be the lack of sleep last night …

"Plus, my job usually was to protect the citizens of Cocoon … not attacking another … well … planet." Shut up, Lightning, just stop rambling! This is not you! You haven't been training hard in the past years to just start blurting out your whole life to a complete stranger, to a _Pulsian_!

I realize that her head shot up at the word 'protecting'. I looks like a light bulb went up in her head or something. I narrow my eyes a little. Looks like she's up to something.

"Didn't you say you needed evidence to make the soldiers believe you?" she asks, her eyes seem to be lighting up and, I don't know why, it makes her look dazzling. I just nod and focus on her words again: "And you hate this mission?" Again, I simply nod.

She now almost jumps up, suggesting: "Why don't you bring me to the camp? I'm your evidence and I can also talk to them! Plus, you can protect _me_ on the way there!"

I sigh again, I thought about that myself, of course. Yesterday, when I was running around in the dark. I tell her: "I doubt that they will believe one girl." I don't have a lot of faith in the Sanctum. Maybe Amodar will believe me, but he didn't start this war.

Vanille suddenly rushes over to me, putting her hands on my still crossed forearms, and says: "I have another idea! We could try to find my friend together. Maybe she found some others of the village. And the more we are, the better we can convince them, right?"

"I … " I am at loss of words. She's making me decide between saving and protecting people I don't know – but which is my actually profession – or going back only with her to try to convince the Sanctum – probably with no success – or going back alone, knowing that I will destroy homes and families as I move on.

She's still looking at me expectantly. Should I let my brain or my heart win? I suddenly spot the bandage on Vanille's upper left arm again, and thoughts of my sister are now in my head. Serah … what would she do in a situation like this? She's always been better at making decisions. I was always just following orders, she actually questioned them.

I sigh and say the only thing my sister would've said: "Alright … let's find your friend … "

My heart won.

**A/N:** Yay, chapter one done =) I was surprised myself that it turned out to be this long when I first wrote it (on paper, yes!).

I guess Lightning's (a little) OOC in this chapter. Is it good? Is it bad? You guys judge and tell me, please =) I mean, who knows what the ever-so-cold soldier, Lightning, is like when she actually meets someone she likes?

I don't mind reviews, I don't mind being criticized (hey, I want to improve ^^) so write away, leave your thoughts!


	2. Beginning of the Journey

**A/N:** Oh boy … I'm such an idiot for letting you guys wait _ I'm really sorry about that. I'm kinda having a block on this story, and time is also not my friend … anyways, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Huge shout-out and many thanks to **mooncanvas** for a great review and many helpful tips =)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Beginning the Journey

I carefully step out of the cave again after quite a long night. A slight breeze tickles my nose and the sunlight is stinging in my eyes. I scan the area around the cave, looking and listening for any threat. The coast seems clear.

"What are you standing around for?" a cheerful voice asks me, which belongs to no one else than the redhead named Vanille, who I saved yesterday. She skips ahead of me, a smile on her face. How can she still run around that easily, even though she almost got killed, not even a day ago?

I settle for an answer: "I … don't know the direction." and cross my arms. The girl giggles. "Right!" she exclaims and looks around. I don't really understand her attitude. Why is she so … happy all the time? Doesn't she have a worry in her life? Vanille points into a direction. I look there, seeing a little hill in the far distance. "Let's go this way!" she says and simply starts walking. I shake my head but follow her nevertheless.

We silently walk towards the little hill, side by side. I always look around for fiends and monsters, but to my luck there are none. I still don't understand how she can run around this world with absolutely no protection.

"So … how long have you been a soldier?" the girl named Vanille asks me, curiously. I look at her from the corner of my eyes and simply reply: "Three years."

"I see … and how old are you, if you're a soldier for three years now?" another question from her. I sigh. Why should I tell her – a stranger – how old I am? Why does she care anyways? Why does she ask so many question? "That's not of importance." I coolly reply, but it only gets me a protest: "But now I'm curious! You look so young but you're already a soldier for three years! Please, tell me?"

I roll my eyes and decide to tell her, in order to keep her quiet: "Twenty-one." She seems satisfied at my reply and continues talking: "Cool! You're as old as my friend, Fang! And only two years older than I am!"

I only nod in acknowledgement. I decide to change the topic and ask something more important: "Do you know where she is? This Fang person?"

The redhead taps her chin with her index finger, obviously thinking. "We hid close to our village, right after we fled. But we said we'll go and get help from other villages. So she's either looking for me or going to the next village."

Again I nod, simply in acknowledgement. Now it's Vanille's turn to sigh and she notices: "You're not a very talkative person, are you?" She sounds a little disappointed. I don't know why but I feel a little guilty for … not being talkative. I shrug the feeling off, though. Why would I even feel guilty? I reply: "I try to stay focused." Her expression stays blank at that comment.

We finally arrived on top of the little hill. The younger girl looks around the area again. I do the same. We came from a rather wide open area and right behind the hill there's another open area, but there are rocks around. Quite large boulders. Behind one of them I can make out smoke. "Is that a village there?" I ask, pointing out to the spot I just found.

Vanille shakes her head, though. "Not that I know. But we should take a look!" she tells me and starts walking again. I reach out my hand to hold her back. "Hey …" I say to get her attention. She turns around to look at me with a small smile, but questioningly. Something's been bugging me all this time and I ask: "Do you actually know where we're going?"

Her look turns a little innocently as she answers: "Well, not really … since I didn't see in which direction we ran away from the village and I also didn't know the cave we were in. I just went up this hill to orientate myself."

Hmm … at least she doesn't just run around blindly. "Let's go." I then order and we start walking towards the boulder, behind which the smoke seems to rise.

I press myself up against the large rock, motioning for Vanille to do the same. She looks a little skeptical and asks: "What if there are only people from my village?" I roll my eyes at this. "What if it's someone or something else?" I ask her in return. She ducks her head a little but seems to understand what I'm trying to tell her and mirrors my actions. Good.

I slowly walk to the side of the boulder and take a careful look around the corner. Shit! I immediately hide again behind it. "What is it?" Vanille asks, a little louder than I want her to. I put a finger to my lips, motioning her to be quiet. I then whisper: "It's the camp I came from!"

Her eyes lighten up a bit and she asks: "We could still try to convince them?"

"Where is Sergeant Farron?!" I suddenly hear a loud voice. My eyes widen as I recognize the voice. It is Lieutenant Amodar … and he sounds _really_ angry. I press myself even harder against the boulder. "Isn't your name- " I put my hand over her mouth to shut her up and continue listening.

"Who does she think she is?! She had an important order! If you find her, tell her to see me in my tent. I am _very_ disappointed!" I hear the lieutenant's voice again. I sigh. Let him be disappointed. I did the right thing so far! I whisper: "Not a good idea. We should find your people first."

I remove my hand from her mouth and she nods. "Then let's head to the village. I can orientate myself there and we can go find the others!" she suggests. I nod, but warn her: "But we need to stay hidden. If the soldiers find us … we're both dead."

ooo

"This is awful … the whole town … it's infested with monsters … " the younger girl says in a sad voice, looking at her village from afar. The only thing we can see are the fiends running around the village, looking for shelter and food. I feel bad for her. She lost her home, just like that. And probably friends and even part of her family.

"Hey … " I say in a calm voice, trying to comfort her with this simple word. She might still be a stranger, but I can at least try to cheer her up a bit, right? Nobody deserves to lose his home. Plus, I liked her more when she was laughing, to be honest. Now she just looks defeated. Poor kid …

"Where do we have to go now?" I ask her, to change the subject. It's no use dwelling over what happened anyways. She looks at me, with watery eyes, and I feel sorry for actually trying to change the subject so quickly. I should put those emotions aside … it's just another mission, nothing more.

"Uhm … this way … " she replies, in a sad voice, matching her expression. I frown. Or maybe I shouldn't be so … cold? I don't know … she seems sad, maybe I should comfort her some more? We start walking again, avoiding the village. I just hope the beasts don't smell us …

Vanille walks a little in front of me, her shoulders hanging limply and she's facing the ground. Great, now I feel sorry and guilty. I feel like I made her even feel even worse. I should really stop with this protective … I don't even know what it is. It's making me weak. I should focus!

Suddenly I hear something from behind a rock. A rock that is right beside us. It was only a very quiet sound, but I'm sure something moved behind it. I look at the younger girl to see if she also heard something, but she's still walking her sad walk. I frown. Maybe I hear too much.

But then suddenly a large, wolf-like creatures jumps out from behind the rock and leaps onto the girl in front of me. I knew it! It knocks Vanille over and she falls right on her wounded arm. She whimpers as this probably hurt. The blood in my veins starts boiling and I take my gunblade in its sword form. The gun would make too much noise. I lunge forward at the beast and slash its side, then stab it into its back. A moment later it lies dead on the ground before me. I sigh … that was close …

I turn back to face the redhead. She's still sitting on the ground, holding her wound, her face grimacing in pain. I kneel down in front of her, asking: "Are you okay?" I wonder why I always ask this question. Of course she's not okay, Lightning! She's in pain! Her emerald eyes soon find mine again and she replies: "I'm fine. It just frightened me." and she even forces herself to smile. Why is she trying to be so brave? It's a good thing, though, I guess.

Suddenly her eyes widen. Pain? Fear? She points out behind me and exclaims: "Watch out!" My blade still in my hand and my ears listening anxiously for the fiend, I can locate it. I barely turn around and stab the creature right into its heart. I pull the blade out of its limp body and scan the area some more. "We should get out of here. There might be more of them." I suggest.

The girl only nods as a reply. Her look is still sad, and now she looks frightened as well. I get up from my kneeling position and wait for her to also stand up. But she doesn't. She keeps facing the ground. What is she waiting for? We should seriously get away from this creature-infested village. I cross my arms impatiently. Maybe she hurt her leg or so? I decide to ask: "Can you get up?"

I don't receive an answer. She still stares at the ground. I wait a few more seconds and then stretch out my hand. Maybe she needs help and just doesn't want to ask? At least she lifts her head and looks at my hand. This time I wait patiently for her to take it, which she finally does, and I help her up. I ask her, one more time: "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah … like I said … it was a little frightening." she looks up at me and smiles again. Maybe … she shouldn't eat everything up in herself. But who am I to judge? "Let's go!" she now orders and starts walking. I cross my arms again. I'm not sure if I like those sudden changes in her attitude … she's not honest with herself …

ooo

A while has passed, and all we did was walk. We're away from the camp, and away from the village. The sun is high in the sky and it's getting really hot. From what I realized those past few weeks, here on Pulse, it gets really hot and they have quite the humidity down here. It seemed unbearable at times. No wonder Vanille isn't wearing much.

The last ten minutes I always saw Vanille holding or touching her wound. Not to mention she has a rather uncomfortable look on her face. I finally decide to ask: "How's your injury?" She looks at me again, looking a little surprised.

"It hurts … a little." she tells me. I frown. It shouldn't. "Can I see it?" I ask her. I'm sure I took good care of that wound. The younger girl nods and we stop shortly as she turns to reveal the bandages. My eyes widen a little at what I see. There's blood soaking through the white cloth. Not a good sign. "I better take a closer look at that." I say, looking around for a spot to sit down for a little while. I see a tree and decide that it's better than nothing. At least we have a little bit of shade beneath it. "Let's go over there."

She sits down right beneath the tree, leaning her back against it and I sit down at her left side. I carefully take down the bandages and take a look what's underneath. Oh great, more blood. It's bleeding again. I have to stop it. I take out some alcohol first for disinfection. I pour the liquid over a little cloth and warn her: "This might sting."

She nods and I press the fabric against the wound. Vanille scrunches her face in pain, but she doesn't make a sound. I can't help but smile a little. It reminds me of Serah and when she came home with a cut. Every time I disinfected my sister's wounds she would whine about how much it hurts. But the young redhead just keeps still.

Suddenly I feel her hand grasping my free one, and she squeezes it tightly. I don't pull it back, even though I'm not one for body contact. At the moment I don't mind, though. If it really makes her feel better … I then remove the cloth again, but my hand is still being held tightly by the other girl. For the next part I'll need both hands, though. "Uhm … I might need both hands to get the pressure bandage on." I say. Vanille immediately lets go and even blushes a little. "S-sorry … " she adds. I shrug and fix up her injury a second time. I should've changed it anyways. I hope that it won't bleed like this the next time, then she could let some air at it.

"Done." I say, the wound finally fixed up again. I look at my work one more time, and I'm satisfied with it, then I pack the remaining utilities into my bag again.

"Thank you." I hear the young redhead say and I look at her. She smiles, gratefully. I feel relieved all of a sudden. I don't even know why. Maybe it's the feeling of doing the right thing. "Don't sweat it." I simply reply and then also lean back against the tree. It's a weird looking tree, like all the others on Pulse I've seen so far. I reminds me of a palm tree, but instead of the mighty leaves on top, they look like closed flowers. It doesn't throw a large shadow, but it's enough for us.

After a few moments of silence I feel my stomach grumbling. Damn … I haven't eaten a thing since yesterday. And, of course, I didn't take anything with me from the camp. Does this mean I have to hunt? Maybe Vanille knows where we can get something to eat: "Are you hungry?"

The younger girl looks at me, eyebrows raised. "Yeah! What about you?" she asks in return. I cross my arms and reply: "A little bit." At this my stomach lets out a loud growl again and I feel my cheeks growing warm. Stupid stomach …

Vanille giggles at this and remarks: "Sure, a little bit." I just frown. She's making fun of me … "Tch … " is my only reply to this. But that makes the redhead frown in return. She sits up a little to properly face me, stems her hands in her hips and protests: "Oh, don't you be so grumpy all the time! Where's the fun in that?"

I just raise an eyebrow at her. "Who gave you the idea of me being 'fun'?" I ask her. I would never consider myself to be a fun person to hang out with. And I know my sister always complained that I should loosen up more or something. It's just not my way of living. She now also crosses her arms and replies in a confident voice: "You have this hard façade all the time, but I've seen a soft side as well, otherwise you wouldn't have agreed to help me, or fixed my wound, two times. So I'm sure you also have a fun side. And I'm gonna find it!"

I only shrug. "Good luck with that." I say. I don't know why but I feel a little intimidated by her. I shouldn't underestimate her. Maybe her childish attitude is also just a façade. I feel like she tries to read me like an open book, with success! It scares me a little, but it also makes her a little more interesting.

Vanille then gets up and looks up the tree. She points out to the top and tells me: "The fruits that are growing up there are delicious … if we can climb up and get them, of course." I also get up and look at the things she means. They are quite large, round fruits, and remind me of watermelons. I inspect them a little closer and have an idea how to get them down. I take my gunblade in its gun form and shoot the fruits down with one precise shot.

"Wow … nice shot! Very impressive!" she compliments me. I feel my chest swelling at the compliment. It was the reason I got into the Guardian Corps easily, Amodar loved me for my perfect aim. I can hardly suppress the smirk creeping up my face. "Thanks." I say, nevertheless.

I watch Vanille while she prepares the fruit for us two eat. What have I got myself into? I then look back into the direction we came from. Hmm … this is definitely going to be an interesting journey.

**A/N:** I know, it was kind of a filler, was it? I promise the next chapter will be better and I hope I get it done soon. Please leave your thoughts!


	3. Rest

**A/N:** Yes! I did it! Who thought that one day of writing could bring out a chapter that long? I take forever, usually, but I wrote this in one day! (With breaks, of course ^^)

This won't be my longest story, I'm thinking about 10 chapters, so I hope nobody thinks it's rushed. BUT I already have another Light/Vanille project going on, which will definitely be a lot longer. I still hope you will like this story, just enjoy reading =)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Rest

I thought that if we get after the midday heat moving on will be a little easier, because the temperature will fall again. Unfortunately I was wrong. It stayed very hot for a very long time, and we were walking without any shade.

Vanille doesn't seem too affected by this extreme climate, she's obviously used to it, but I'm starting to feel a little tired by it. To my luck the sun is starting to set now and finally the temperature is starting to get normal again. I sure hope tomorrow will be a rainy day or whatever. Does it rain on Pulse? I haven't been down here long enough to see myself. So far it was always sunny and hot.

"Hey, Lightning?" she asks for my attention, which I give her by looking at her. I must admit, I'm always a little amazed by the rich green in her eyes. I don't know why, but I kind of like it. Ugh, what am I thinking? Must be the heat getting to me … "You look a little tired, do you want to rest?" she asks, concern evident in her voice.

Am I that easy to read? I'm a soldier, I know how to ignore feelings of being tired, she can't possibly know? "I'm okay. We have no time to lose. We rest when we must." I tell her, looking towards the front again. This is not a pleasurable journey, or a holiday, this is a mission. And where does she have all the energy from, anyways?

"You don't have to push yourself, you know? It's okay if we rest up. You haven't really slept in two days, right?" she sounds concerned. I don't know if I necessarily like that. It's like she's pitying me, and that makes me feel weak. I'm not weak! "We'll press on."

A frown forms on her face and she stands in front of me. "No! I don't want you to overdo it!" she says in a firm tone and then points towards her right side, which makes me look over. "There's a waterhole and this rock-formation. We can stay here for the night. No, we will stay here for the night!"

I look at the place she just showed me with a longing look. Water, shelter … it _does_ sound nice. But I can't show weakness, I simply can't! I suddenly feel two hands grabbing my right one and I look at her. She has a pleading look on her face and says: "Come on, Lightning. I'm tired as well and my feet hurt. At least go there for my sake?"

I look back and forth between her and the waterhole. Well if she's tired, I guess we can stay there, right? "Okay." is my only reply, which makes her smile in relief. Vanille then starts rushing over to the place, not letting go of my hand and simply pulling me with her. I don't know why I'm letting her drag me around like this … I just, kinda, like the contact. It's the heat talking again, I'm sure. It's making me weak and soft.

We stop in front of the waterhole. It is larger than it looked from further away, more like a little lake. We only saw a small bit of it before. The rock formations right beside it provide a little bit of shelter from the open. They stretch out in sort of an arc, so they can even protect us in case it will start raining, and throw a shadow when the sun is too bright. That's not the case right now, though, the sun is quite low, giving the whole place an orange glow, and everything has very long shadows, including us. You could almost describe it as romantic. Almost …

"This place is beautiful!" the redhead exclaims, the previous smile still present on her face, if not even wider. I scan the area carefully. Though it actually might seem beautiful, there could still be monsters lurking around. Nevertheless, this place has some kind of magic to it, and I agree: "It is."

Vanille then stretches and turns to face me again, saying: "Are you up for fish tonight?" I cross my arms. At the mention of food my stomach begins to growl again. "I'm up for anything edible." I reply. Great, now we really have to hunt our own food. I should've brought some supplies.

"Great! Me too!" she exclaims and then skips towards the water. Is she going to catch a fish now? But how? I watch her as she takes off her shoes and puts off the pelt which she always has tied around her waist. I wonder why she has it in first place, it must be really hot underneath, especially at these temperatures.

She then takes what appears to be a weapon. Looks like a weird kind of staff or rod. I tilt my head. I wonder what she is going to do with it. She's standing knee-high in the lake, scanning the water for probably a fish or something. Then suddenly she seems to spot something and she whirls her rod, wires shooting out at the end, with hooks, and they slash into the water quite forcefully. Who would've thought? As she pulls the wires back it doesn't seem like she caught anything. "Close one!" she calls out. I snort. A kid after all.

She lets the wires lash into the water a few more times, but then she freezes. "Uh oh!" she exclaims and starts walking backwards. I look more closely. "What's wrong?" I ask, but I can't find anything. Continuing her slow walk backwards she tells me: "There might have been a Ceratosaur … and I might have made it angry … "

I frown. "A _what_?" I ask. She opens her mouth to say something again, but suddenly a quite large water pillar shoots in the air from the lake. I immediately pull out my gunblade, flicking it into the sword form and I run toward the younger girl, who is running towards me in return, screaming. What the heck did she do?

A creature then jumps onto the shore. It looks like a … frog and a fish. It has legs, quite strong ones for jumping, and fins. Its eyes display annoyance and its fangs are sharp. it lets out a weird screech and then jumps up high, aiming for Vanille. I dart towards her and block its attack with my sword. It tries to bite the blade but hurts itself in the process, since the edges are very sharp, and it lets out another screech, this time in pain.

I push it back forcefully and slash at it once, twice, then it jumps back, focusing me and throwing me a glare. It wants to fight. Despite being tired and weakened from the heat, I feel the adrenaline rushing through my body and I just smirk at it. Bring it on!

I run towards it again and try hitting it with my sword, but the thing is quite swift and it jumps around with ease, then it suddenly starts a jump attack which I can barely block. Damn creature! I try slashing it again and manage to hit it, but it's only bleeding a little, jumping back again, before lunging back at me again. I jump to the side, making it almost smash into the ground beside me. It has quite the force, I must be careful.

"I can help!" Vanille then shouts over to me, when the beast is jumping back again. I look over to her and nod. She knows what the beast is called so maybe she knows its weaknesses as well. As the creature starts its next attack Vanille flings her rod again, shooting out the wires very accurately, and the fish-like monster is caught in the hooks. Vanille pulls her rod towards her, changing its original flight- or rather jump path, and it falls to the ground. I immediately react and while it is busy trying to free itself from the hooks and wires, I stab it.

"Whew! Those things are annoying!" she exclaims as it finally lies limply on the ground. I pull my sword out of it again, the crimson red blood from the creature smeared all over it. I frown. "Pretty swift fellow." I say and then walk towards the water to wash my blade clean again. When it's finally done I sheathe it again and turn to Vanille. "Thank you … for the help." I say. I must admit, it would've been harder without her help.

"No problem! I'm used to hunting those things with Fang, so it was an easy one. At least we have something for dinner now!" she tells me with her cheerful smile on her face. I look at the purple-colored fish-like creature. I hope she knows how to prepare this thing. She walks over to the thing and starts pulling it towards the stone arc, but she really seems to be struggling with its weight. I then walk over to her and help her, not wanting the girl to struggle with it. When she smiles gratefully at me I can't help to smile back. It's kind of contagious.

We drag it right under the arc, sitting down for a moment to regain a little of our strength. She looks at me and asks: "Can I ask you to gather some wood for a fire? It's not really good uncooked."

I saw a few trees close by and I nod as a reply. "Sure." I add and then get up, walking away and I look for something flammable. I find a whole lot of branches, even some grass which isn't too wet from the climate and I start collecting it and taking it back to our camp for the night.

Vanille isn't there, but I see her close by, kneeling on the floor, looking for … flowers? No, why would she be picking flowers? She has a whole bunch of green stuff in her hands, but it's not grass either … it can only be herbs, right? I just hope she knows what she's doing and doesn't pick something poisonous.

She returns with a satisfied look on her face and a whole bunch of green in her hands. "Don't want the Ceratosaur to taste boring!" she remarks. I must admit, her bubbly attitude is kind of cute … wait, cute? Oh boy, the heat again … and the lack of sleep. I better get something to eat and then rest.

She puts down the herbs and then stands in front of the dead creature. She's tapping her chin again. I figure it's something she does when she's thinking. She then turns to me and asks: "Do you have a knife of some sort?"

I reach under my uniform with my left hand, pulling out the folding survival knife which is secured on my belt. It was a present from Serah for this mission. I look at it shortly then hand it to Vanille. The redhead takes it and then flips it open, revealing a very sharp but short blade. I haven't really used it much, so far my gunblade did the job.

"That's really pretty." she comments, then turns back to the creature and starts cutting out obviously edible pieces. I watch her as she dives the knife into the fish-monster's flesh with great care, in order to get most of the best pieces and also not to damage the small blade in her hands. She knows exactly what she's doing, and frankly, it's quite cool.

After she piled up a few pieces of meat, which look like fish meat, she says: "You'd think you get a lot of goodies out of a monster this big, but unfortunately the rest is inedible or even poisonous."

I nod and then together we start pulling the creature to the side. Vanille takes the pieces of meat and washes them in the water, asking me: "Can you set up a fire?" Again I just nod and do just that, and to my luck it doesn't even take long. Since it's growing darker and darker I'm a little glad for the light the fire is providing.

The younger girl is preparing the fish – yeah, I think I'll call it fish – and stabs them with sticks so we can grill and eat them a little easier. She sticks them into the earth beside the fire, so that the meat doesn't touch the flames, and now we have to wait. "I hope you like its taste." she says as she leans back, supporting herself on her outstretched arms.

Well, it seriously just looks like regular fish, it can't be that bad, right? But I'm curious about something else. "What did you use to flavor it?" I ask.

"Oh, well, do you know herbs from Gran Pulse?" she asks in return, but I shake my head. She then takes a few of the herbs that are left over, rubs them a little between her fingers and holds it out to me: "It tastes similar to its smell." I lean closer and sniff at it. Hmm … has something refreshing, a little like a pine forest, but not as intense. "Smells nice."

She looks at me with her fantastic green orbs, that are sparkling with the dancing flames. And then it happens. My heart skips a beat. What was that? A weird and warm feeling spreads through my stomach. What is happening to me? She flashes me another smile and I suddenly feel my cheeks growing warm. Why do I … find her so pretty all of a sudden?

I avert my gaze from hers and look into the fire. It's the hunger, the lack of sleep and the heat. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal, then I can focus on my goal again. Find her village and convince my people. I hope it will work.

After a while of silence, in which we were both staring into the fire that is flickering in front of us, Vanille takes a stick and tests the meat. She pokes at it and takes a small bite. Her features lighten up: "It's perfect!" She then takes another one and hands it to me. I examine the fishy piece shortly and then also finally take a bite, my growling stomach guiding my actions.

At first it only tastes warm, but then suddenly I can taste a unique taste, obviously coming from the fish, with the refreshing herbs that Vanille picked and seasoned it in. "This is … " I start, not finding the right words. I have never eaten anything like this on Cocoon before. Back on my home planet everything seems a little dull compared to this. "This is absolutely delicious."

Vanille giggles. "I'm glad you like it!" she states. Another silence then hangs in the air as we eat up pretty much everything. I didn't even realize I was that hungry until now. On the other hand, this food is so delicious, I wouldn't even stop eating if I were full.

After our lunch we prepare some sort of beds. Well, for me it'll be the ground. The younger girl seems to have at least some kind of blanket to sleep on. I guess I can handle a few nights like this, as long as it stays warm at night. We lay down and say our goodnights. Vanille rolls over and seems to be falling asleep quite quickly.

Me, on the other hand, despite being tired as hell, I can't sleep. A lot is running through my head. Am I doing the right thing? I always thought I'd be the good and brave soldier who will serve the Guardian Corps as long as possible. And now look at me, I'm running off with a stranger. A strange, young girl named Vanille. I shake my head. I better get some sleep …

ooo

I can feel the warmth of the sunlight, and it is definitely bright. It must be daytime again. Or maybe I'm just dreaming or some wild beast ate me up last night. I breathe in and out deeply. Even though I slept on the floor I slept pretty well. Tch … looks like I'm toughening up.

Just what's that smell? It smells good, sweet … like vanilla. I stir a little and realize that something is laying on my shoulder and arm. What the … ? I open my eyes only to be greeted by white. Okay, it's definitely daytime. I rub my eyes with my free hand and then look down and I tense. Vanille is cuddled up against my arm.

I feel like waking her up and asking what she's doing, but I stop myself. She looks so peaceful, and she's even smiling a little. She looks innocent. I can't wake her up like that, right? I mean … she lost her home not even two days ago … she deserves some peace and quiet. And she looks cute like that. Oh no, not these thoughts again.

I sigh quietly and then try to break free from her grasp without waking her, successfully. I walk over to the lake and wash my face. What is happening to me? First I don't listen to my superior and then I'm starting to … have those weird feelings when I'm around her. Why was she at my side right now, anyways? We slept at quite some distance apart. Did she come over at night?

Never mind. I sigh again and continue washing my face. The sun is shining brightly again today and it's already getting hot. Great, and there I was hoping for a cooler day today. Doesn't matter … at least I slept well.

I straighten up again and look into the distance. Will I ever get back to Cocoon again? Hmm … somehow I will. But before that I have to knock some sense into my people …

I hear some quiet footsteps behind me. Looks like Vanille's awake. "Good morning, Lightning."

I turn around to face her. She's walking towards me, her hand blocking out the sun which is shining into her eyes. "Morning." Damnit, I still find her pretty.

"Slept well?" she asks me and I just nod. Something else then catches my eye. Her bandage, which I had to change yesterday. "How's your wound?"

Vanille touches it with her right hand, looking at it, and then tells me: "It's fine. Doesn't hurt as much anymore, thanks to you." and then smiles. I feel relieved. "I have to change it again."

She nods and we then sit down beside the water. At least it stopped bleeding, or otherwise the cloth would be red now. I untie the bandage again, careful not to hurt her, and inspect the wound. It looks a lot better than yesterday. It seems to be healing fast. "You can let some fresh air at it for some time, if you want." I say.

"I will!" she exclaims, the smile spreading again on her face. Is there ever a time when she's not smiling? Such a cheerful girl. She then hops up and says: "I'll go get something for breakfast!" and skips off. I cross my arms and shake my head. Cheerful and energetic.

I get rid of the dirty bandages and walk back to the spot under the rock arch, and watch the younger girl from a distance. Looks like she's picking something from the ground and then from trees. I wonder what it will be this time. I liked the food yesterday. The girl surprises me with her skills. She's a good cook, she has a weird weapon which she can handle pretty well, I wonder what comes next.

Vanille comes back with a whole bunch of differently colored … what are they? I guess they're fruits, and smaller things, like berries. "That should do for breakfast!" she remarks and takes a bite from a fist-sized fruit which looks like an apple. "Thank you." I say.

ooo

"It's so hot today!" the younger girl exclaims after we finished breakfast and gathered our stuff again. Unfortunately she's right. And if Vanille says that it's hot, it's really hot. She didn't complain yesterday and I was melting. But she's right, it's even hotter today, unfortunately.

"Hey, Lightning?" she asks for my attention. "Call me Light." I tell her. I think it's okay for her to call me like this. She's been nice to me, so I don't see any problem with it. "Okay, Light, can I swim with this wound?"

I raise my eyebrows suspiciously. "Not the best idea, but it should be okay. Why?" I ask her. She's not really planning on going swimming now, is she? The younger girl giggles and starts taking off some of her clothes and her beaded necklaces and bracelets. "What are you doing?"

As she's only in her skirt and top she stems her hands in her hips again and replies: "Well I don't want everything to get soaked when I'm going for a swim!" I have the feeling she's enjoying this mission more than she should. "I don't think we have time for this." I tell her, which earns me another giggle. This time I frown.

She walks over to me and then suddenly starts tucking on the belt which is strapped around my uniform. I blush and grab her hands to make her stop, but she protests: "You're going to feel better when you're a little cooled off! Trust me, moving on will be easier."

I roll my eyes and say: "We should seriously keep on moving." but Vanille just pushes my arms to the side and starts working on my belt again. I feel my cheeks growing hot again and I try to make her stop fumbling with my belt, but she simply won't let me. I groan. If she wants to go swimming then she can do it, but this is a little too intimate. "I'll just wait for you, you go and take a swim."

The redhead shakes her head and says: "You cool your head off as well. Come on, work with me here!" I sigh but don't move. If she can't even undress me I won't get into that damn water. Unfortunately, after a few more moments, the belt loosens and she also manages to open the few straps which holds the jacket together. Why I don't stop her? I don't know … because I won't go swimming anyway and she's just wasting her time … and I want to show her that? I guess so … or maybe the heat is getting to me again and I should take a dip … no, no, I won't.

The younger girl slides my jacket off way too delicately and I blush again. Seriously, why don't I just stop this and put it back on? "I think that's enough." I say, clearing my throat since it is a little dry. But she doesn't seem to listen to me. No way, is she checking me out?!

Suddenly a wide grin spreads on her face and she grabs my right arm, dragging me towards the water before I can even react. But I stop right in front of it. No way she's going to get me in there! "Come on, Light, only a few more steps!" she says and tugs on my arm, but I don't move. "No!" I only reply, and start moving away, but she then tugs on my arm again, almost knocking me over with the jolt, and runs towards the water again. "Go in there and have fun!" she orders, but I cross my arms. "No, I'll wait here."

Vanille groans in protest and tries to tickle me. But to my luck, I have a younger sister who knows pretty much every tickle-attack there is, and I'm quite immune to this. Tch, this is easy. I smirk and say: "That does it." and then I pick her up, quite easily, ignoring the squeaks and laughs and also her attempts to free herself from my grasp, and I walk a little further into the water. "You asked for it." I say and then throw her into the lake.

"So unfair!" she protests, completely soaked now. I smirk victoriously and start walking away again but then suddenly I feel my complete back being splashed at. My remaining clothes are wet now, along with my hair. I turn around and throw her an annoyed look. Okay, a rather playful annoyed one, and I comment: "Oh no you did not!"

She squeals and starts running deeper into the water and I dart right after her. Since my clothes are already wet, so I leap into the water, swimming behind her. I catch up with her quickly and grab her leg, pulling her back towards me. "There's no escaping me!" I exclaim and she squeaks again. I splash some water into her face as a payback, not wanting to plunge her down forcefully. That would be rude.

After a little bit of wriggling and wrestling she finally manages to stop my movements. By the time we are both laughing. Okay, so forget about my worries for a minute. It won't hurt, right? "Let's just call it a tie!" she says, pushing my arms away from her. I chuckle and give in. "Okay."

Then it hits me. Our proximity. Her eyes seem ever bigger and greener from this close, I can tell every particle. She lets her hands glide along mine until they reach my shoulders and I suppress a shiver. My heart is starting to beat a little faster and this damn warm feeling spreads in my stomach again. What is this? "Light … " she starts but I put my right index finger on her lips. Don't talk … not now … I'm trying to figure this out … I let my right hand wander from her lips to her chin, letting the back of my index finger slowly trace her jaw line and I finally cup her cheek.

Her skin … it's so soft … and her touch is so soothing … her hands travel from my shoulders to the back of my neck. Then she starts leaning in … and I don't really know why … but I close my eyes and wait for what will happen next …

**A/N:** Oh no, a cliffhanger! I'm so mean, I know … you guys anticipating the next chapter already? =D Please leave your thoughts!


	4. Proximity

**A/N:** Oh, yay, another chapter! And quite soon, actually =D didn't let you hang on that cliff too long! And I won't keep you from reading. Enjoy!

**Shout-Outs **to **Goobah**, **mooncanvas**, **Major Mike Powell III**, **MurasakinoMonogatari** and **Yunner** … YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! =DDD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Proximity

_Then she starts leaning in … and I don't really know why … but I close my eyes and wait for what will happen next …_

As a few more moments pass I can feel her breath on my lips, and I can almost feel the heat from her body radiating. It's a nice feeling …

Suddenly I hear a loud screech from beside us and we quickly jump apart, my heart almost stops beating. What was that?! I open my eyes and search for the source of the noise.

"It's another Ceratosaur!" the younger girl exclaims. Suddenly I grow angry and I want to reach for my gunblade, but it's not where it should be. Shit! I'm not even fully dressed in my uniform!

I grab Vanille by the hand and start pulling her out of the water. It's too dangerous inside. I quickly check where the monster is and see it jumping after us. Damn, it's so quick that it's actually catching up!

As we reach the small shore I hear the redhead screaming out, scared, and I turn around, seeing that the monster is jumping again and this time it will reach her. I act on instinct and throw myself in between Vanille and the purple, fish-like thing and grab it on the sides of its head so it can't reach me with its huge fangs.

I grit my teeth at the weight it is stemming against me. What should I do now? I can't hold this any longer! I try pushing against it but it's not working quite well … I suddenly see hooks digging into the beast's flesh, which are pulling it to the side and I feel massively released as it's not pushing against me anymore.

I quickly dart towards my weapon, which isn't far from me, flip it into its sword-form and then lunge at the monster, slicing and stabbing it before it can free itself from Vanille's hooks and wires.

I stare at the dead beast, breathing hard and trying to catch my breath. "How many … of those … are there?" I ask Vanille in between taking deep breaths. The one yesterday was enough.

"Usually they are either in flocks or alone. Two Ceratosaurs so close by is quite unusual." the redhead tells me. I nod. "Maybe the army's on the move." I remark, crossing my arms and I scan the area. I hope they're not close.

The younger girl then walks over to me and puts her hands onto my crossed forearms, making me look at her. "Are you okay?" she asks, concerned. I nod, giving her the hint of a smile. She suddenly makes her move forwards, slinging her arms around my midsection. What … ?

"Thank you … for saving me again." she replies. I unfold my arms but seriously don't know what to do. I should just push her away, because this is definitely way too close, but I can't. That would be rude and I don't want to hurt her. Why do I care so much? I reluctantly put my arms around her rather petite frame as well, trying to be nice. Or … because I want to? Because I kind of like this … proximity?

I feel her relaxing in my arms and this actually gives me a good feeling, a content one. "No problem." I finally reply, then she lets go again, and I feel … cold …

I shrug the feeling off and suggest: "We should press on." Vanille gives me another smile and nods. "Yes!" she exclaims and then starts putting back on the rest of her outfit. I take my uniform and throw it over my shoulders. My turtleneck and skirt are still wet … it's a little uncomfortable … but it's so hot today that I simply don't care.

ooo

Ugh … I think I'll need a break soon. I feel dehydrated and I'm hungry. I mean, as a soldier I'm used to it, but combined with this heat it's tearing on my energy resources. Unfortunately we couldn't take the fish along with us, Vanille told me that it will get bad if it doesn't get cooked really soon. Very unfortunate, because that food yesterday was delicious.

I look over at the younger girl. Judging by her attitude I actually would have thought she's more of a child … but the things she does and knows … to be honest … it's quite impressive. She's stronger than she makes people think. That's what makes her … interesting … and … attractive?

Speaking about attractive … what exactly was this, earlier today? We were about to kiss, right? Or … was it just my imagination? We didn't talk about it or anything … not that I'd want to talk about it … how did we end up in this position anyways? Right, we were 'having fun' in the water, or something … but it was kinda … fun … I guess.

I look to the side. Damn, I'm a soldier. I have my goal, find her people. Why is she making me feel such … _things_? I can't even describe it. I shouldn't be thinking about this! Focus on my ultimate goal, nothing more! Yes, that's exactly what I-

"Ugh!" I hear Vanille's voice as I suddenly bump into her. Great job with focusing, soldier … really great job. "Sorry." I say, almost blushing. This is embarrassing, no, mortifying. I never bump into people! It's all her fault!

She just giggles. Why does she find this funny? I sigh quietly. "Look!" she says, pointing her finger in a direction, then turns her head to face me. A certain warmth spreads in my body again as we lock gazes. Forget whatever she wants to show me, her perfect green eyes are just more interesting. Why? I just don't get it … and again with the proximity! She didn't really move away after I bumped into her, so she's standing really close again. "Do … uh … do you … " she starts but seems to trail off, and suddenly I see her cheeks reddening. Is she blushing?

"Kweh!" A loud cry, which sounds bird-like, seems to visibly bring her back to reality. And me, too. I can at least avert my gaze from her to the direction of the sound. I see a huge, yellow bird standing there. We have those on Cocoon as well, it's a Chocobo, right? But it's a lot taller than the ones we have. "Do you know what this cute bird is called?"

I nod. "A Chocobo." I simply reply. "Oh!" she exclaims and when I look at her I find her rather excited about my reply. "So you have Chocobos on Cocoon as well!" Again I nod my head. She then lets out a squeak and runs off to the yellow bird, which is eyeing her curiously. I cross my arms and just watch. I'm not sure if we have time for this right now … we should keep on going.

When she reaches the Chocobo she stretches out her hand and carefully touches its long neck and starts stroking it. The Chocobo lets out a: "Kweh!" and nudges Vanille lightly and she giggles at this. I tilt my head slightly. That … was kinda cute. No, Lightning, you must stop thinking such things!

Stroking over its beak the redhead turns around and calls over to me: "Lightning, come over here!" I sigh but obey. It can't hurt, can it? And I can't just say that we should go, because I have the feeling I can't stand seeing her sad or disappointed.

"You must feel its feathers, it's so soft!" she tells me and strokes its neck again, happily. I just look at the large bird and it seems to be looking back at me. It's almost a staring contest. As Vanille moves again the bird and I, both, look at her, and this time she's hugging the Chocobo. "And so cuddly." she adds. I can't help but shake my head and smile a little. The sight is just so adorable. Yes, _adorable_. So much that it's getting on my nerves that I'm thinking such things again. Why can't I just focus? Maybe I should just admit that I think she's cute, and then I can concentrate again? Okay … fine, I think she's cute. Done.

"Come on, Light! Don't be shy, touch it!" she prompts me some more. Oh, what the heck. I look at the huge bird again and this time stretch out my hand. The seemingly not very shy Chocobo pushes its head against my hand, so I can feel its beak, then its feathers. Back when I was in Nautilus Park with Serah, once, my sister made me stroke this one Chocobo there, and it felt completely different. The Cocoon Chocobo's feathers were a lot shorter and therefore not as soft as this one's. "Don't you also think that this is one of the softest things you've ever touched?"

I nod. "Yeah … " She has a point … this is really is the softest thing I've ever felt. "Maybe it'll let us ride it. That way we can move around more quickly."

I look at her again, eyebrows raised in question. "Ride it?" I repeat, then take an even closer look at the bird. "Is it even strong enough?"

The younger girl giggles again and replies: "Sure! They can carry large weights and have really strong legs." She then walks over to the Chocobo's left side. "I hope it will let me ride it." she remarks but then simply jumps onto its back. The big bird just lets out another: "Kweh!" but it doesn't look uncomfortable.

"Yay!" Vanille exclaims, grinning widely. She pats the bird's neck again and then says: "It's probably a tamed one. Fled from the attacking monsters." I nod and look at the bird again. That would explain why it is so trustful.

"You look cute from up here." I suddenly hear Vanille's voice again. I look back up at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?" Seriously, what did she just say? Blushing slightly, she giggles, and says: "I said you should get up here! We'll be a lot faster!" No, you said I look cute! But why? Why do you think I'm cute? Why did you want to kiss me earlier?

"I don't know … " I say, only partially replying to her request and partially answering my own questions.

I've never ridden a Chocobo before. I prefer running or walking, actually. "Do you even know how to ride one?"

"Yep!" she exclaims, nodding frantically. What doesn't she know? I feel really stupid compared to her when it comes to Pulse, even though I investigated a lot about this place beforehand. Unfortunately nothing about survival on Pulse … I check the available space on the large bird … not really much. "Where should I sit?" I ask.

Vanille pats the space right behind herself. "Right here!" I nod. Looks like it will get … cuddly. I then hop onto the Chocobo, hoping it will not give in to my weight now, and smoothly settle myself right behind the younger girl. "You comfortable?" she asks me.

Well, despite of my now quickly pounding heart, because I now even think that her scent, which I can smell because we're _that_ close, is kind of intoxicating, and those damn butterflies in my stomach, I feel quite okay. "Yes."

"Good! Now hold on tight!" she tells me, turning her head to look at me again. I look around myself. "Where?" There's simply nothing to grab on to. And I can't pull on the bird's feathers.

Vanille then grabs my wrists and guides my arms around her midsection. She's not serious, is she? I feel my face getting hotter and the butterflies in my stomach seem to flutter even more. I'm touching her bare stomach … it's really soft … I kinda like that … "Ready?"

My mouth is dry and I swallow before I reply: "Sure." I then take a deep breath. This proximity …

I seriously don't know what she just did but somehow the Chocobo starts moving. Just why exactly is this that I'm so nervous around her? Or at least when we're that close? It can't really be that I ... no. I mean, Serah once rambled about her feelings for her airheaded boyfriend, Snow … if I remember her descriptions correctly she felt similar to what I'm feeling now. But … that's not it, right? I can't have … feelings for that girl, simply after a few days?

I sigh quietly … this would explain a lot, right? Also the fact why I wouldn't have minded if she kissed me earlier … I just … have to rethink this some more … just with her sitting _that close_, it's going to be tough.

I suddenly feel her leaning back slightly, kind of snuggling into my embrace. Embrace? … I guess it is. Okay … maybe it is going to a little more difficult to think about than I thought … just, at the same time … this _is_ kinda relaxing …

ooo

We rode on this Chocobo for a really long time, and we're currently setting up a new camp for tonight. In my opinion the bird could've continued a little bit, but Vanille insisted that we should get off and just continue walking, because she doesn't want the bird to suffer. I didn't mind … even though I felt pretty comfortable on the back of the bird.

The younger girl is currently running around the area to gather something to eat. I'm not sure what she will get, but I'm positive that it'll taste good. I'm just returning to the camp with some wood to make a fire. Maybe she will find some meat again. I just don't want her to fight a monster without my help. I don't want her to get hurt.

I ignite a flame after everything is set up and sit down right beside the fire, watching it grow. After a few more moments Vanille returns with those melon-like fruits and some berries. It's not much but okay for now. Still, we should hunt tomorrow again … we need the energy.

She hands me the fruit-like food with a smile. "Thank you." I say and take them, immediately starting eating because I'm really hungry, and as soon as the redhead sits down she also starts digging in.

Halfway through eating she then is the first to break the silence: "I'm sorry, it's not much. It was all I could find." I look up from my food and at her, swallowing what I had in my mouth and reply: "No problem."

She gives me a small smile, then has a rather worried look on her face. Uh, why worried? It doesn't take long until she asks: "Hey, Light … are you okay?"

I blink twice. "Sure. Why?" I ask in return and then take another bite of my food, but I keep watching her. She shrugs and responds: "I don't know. You've been rather quiet today … after we, uhm, left the last camp."

Well, I've been in thought ever since you almost kissed me. "I'm fine." I simply reply, taking another bite. To this she seems a little disappointed, only nods and then continues eating. Again, I feel a little bad for this. She likes it when I talk, but talking is hard. I mean … I had enough time to think about what I really do feel for her. But it's just too hard to tell her. It's too hard to admit.

I take the last bite from my food and then put it away. I should stop feeling guilty about not being a talkative person, but I can't. "Vanille, I … " I suddenly say, losing control of my voice. Why did I just talk? And my body seems to be moving on its own. I'm moving closer to her, and she looks at me with a questioning look. I can't stop myself. I don't want to stop myself. My body is moving on instinct or something. "I have a reason … why I was quiet … " I'm now sitting right beside her and she gives me a rather confused look now. I move my left hand and carefully push her bangs to the side so that her sparkling, green eyes are completely visible for me now. My heart starts pounding uncontrollably, and there's this warmth again. Her look is so hopeful, all of a sudden. I then place my hand onto her cheek and swallow, feeling my mouth going dry. My eyes move to her lips and back up to her eyes. I have this urge to just …

I start leaning in again, but this time I won't let anything stop me or her. She closes her eyes as she sees what I'm about to do. I made up my mind … those feelings … they're real … even though it's not logical … I don't care … and I finally close the gap between us.

I carefully press my lips to hers in a soft kiss, and my heart starts pounding even more and even louder. Will she back off or … no … she's kissing me back. Yes, she's actually kissing me back! I feel her hands finding the back of my head and she's even pulling me in a little closer. I drop my left hand and settle in on her side, starting to move my thumb to caress the skin there.

We then pull apart slightly and I open my eyes, only to look into a meadow green pair. She is beaming at me and I also now can't help but smile a little. Seeing this look on her face, I relax again. She puts one hand to the ground, to supporter herself again, and the other to my biceps. "Was this your reason?" she asks in a soft voice. I chuckle and reply: "Yeah … "

Vanille giggles at this. "Did … you like it?" her voice is a little more shy, but she seems determined to know. I move my left hand to move the bangs our of her face again, since they've fallen back. "Yes … you?" I ask in return, even though I can imagine the answer, considering the smile on her face.

She moves forward in a quick movement and catches my lips with hers again. Okay, maybe I didn't expect this as an answer … but I must admit … I like this. I kiss back in her manner. No, correction … I really like this.

**A/N:** I gotta admit … it was kinda hard to write this chapter, I wasn't so inspired and I have the feeling it didn't turn out as nice as I wanted it to … but yay, they kissed =D and I still hope you liked it! Leave your thoughts!


	5. Illogical

**A/N:** Yeah, another chapter! And yeah, I wrote it in a day again, I'm getting quite good at this! I sure hope I'm inspired to _quickly_ write a new one for Storm Driven. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, I was busy with my final exams, but I finished studying now (successfully), so I finally have time now =D There's going to be a lot of Lanille-action in this chapter ;)

**Shout-Outs** to my reviewers: **Major Mike Powell III**, **Harteramo**, **Goobah**, **Yunner**, **BrokenBone** and **Lightarcana**! You guys always make my day with a review and keep me going!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Illogical

I'm sitting a little further away from the camp, watching the sky turning from almost black to a pinkish orange. The sun is probably just about to show itself. I sigh. I haven't slept much last night, I almost sat here the whole time, thinking, trying to sort my thoughts, trying to think everything through. Everything that happened last night …

_I can feel Vanille's tongue carefully tracing over my lips. Is she asking for entrance? Is she trying to take control? I don't know if I should let her take control of the kiss … on the other hand, I feel so excited when I think about her dominating me … after a few more minutes of debating I comply, slowly opening my mouth, letting her tongue slip past my lips, finding mine … okay, okay … this feels really good …_

I kissed her … she kissed me … I liked it … she obviously also liked it … but why? Why all of a sudden? I mean … I felt that there was some kind of _something_ between us when I first looked into her eyes. At first I thought I just find her eyes pretty, but when I look at her now … it's more than that. And it's not that she is just pretty on the outside … the things she does and says, they're adorable. It's hard to believe I'm even having thoughts like these right now … she is so intriguing to me …

_The way she is kissing me right now, the way her hands so innocently and gently seem to explore parts of my body, it all seems to trigger this primal want in me to just claim her, right here, right now … of course I can contain myself from doing so, but I don't think Vanille knows what the hell she is just doing to me … she then suddenly starts undoing the leather belt around my uniform, and also the straps, all which are holding the jacket securely around my upper body. Soon, it opens and the redhead doesn't hesitate to just push it over my shoulders, shamelessly letting it drop to the ground …_

I blush at this certain flashback. Her actions were so delicate, her touch sometimes so innocent. I never complained about anything she did last night because she did it so well. I still try to put logic into everything that happened ever since I agreed to helping her finding her people. I don't think it has any. I just want to make things right. And our system is just so wrong, killing innocent people, that I couldn't help but agree. And it had nothing to do with the fact that I happen to find the slightly younger girl very attractive. I turn my head to look at her peacefully sleeping form. When I got up I used my cape as a blanket for her. She's snuggled into it, and I can't help but smile at the sight. I don't know, this doesn't seem to need logic.

_I think the moment she started to trace my stomach with her fingers my brain shut off. I want more, and I want her, and I'm on the best way of just doing so. Inwardly I beg for Vanille to stop touching me like this, since it is actually turning me on, a lot, on the other hand I'm telling myself to stop being a pervert and just enjoy what she is doing. In the end I decide to find a healthy balance between those two options, I carefully lean forward until she loses her balance, but I still hold her with one arm and catch her, so she doesn't hit the ground, I softly lay her down in the grass. We broke the kiss in the process and I now find her smiling up at me, cupping my cheeks. She pulls my face back down to kiss me longingly again, as if she couldn't get enough of it. I place myself halfway on top of her, so I don't squish her with my weight. I support myself on one arm and let my other hand wander around her upper body in return …_

She looks so innocent, yet she seemed to be knowing quite well what she was doing last night. I shake my head, trying to shake off the thoughts and pictures from what happened and what could've happened if we hadn't stopped ourselves. Kissing is one thing, but sleeping with her would've been too much. My cheeks start feeling even warmer and I now shake my head. Stop thinking inappropriate thoughts, soldier, now is not the time …

I wonder what Vanille is thinking, though. Maybe I should ask her when she wakes up. I know I'm usually not the curious person, but if I hadn't opened my mouth yesterday, I wouldn't have kissed her … and I don't regret one second of last night … not a single bit. The only thing I still have to get aware of are my feelings. Is she just a crush? An object of lust? Has it been too long that I kissed someone? Or is this more? It is still hard to put it into proper thoughts … even though I tell myself that whatever this is between us doesn't need logic, it still too illogical for me to understand.

The bright light of the rising sun brings me back to reality. I squint my eyes so the light doesn't blind me. When I get adjusted to the brightness of the day I reopen my eyes fully and take in the sight of the beautiful landscape right in front of me. We camped near a waterhole again and the sun is reflecting on the surface, making the water sparkle, and the sparkles dancing in the light. This land … it's so beautiful … why is the Sanctum out to destroy it? Somehow, it makes me feel sad …

_I lower myself to connect my lips to her stomach, I place kisses all over her bare skin, wandering upwards, slowly and steadily. Quiet sighs and moans escape her lips every now and then, letting me know which parts of her body are more sensitive than others. I feel her fingers digging into my hair, gripping it slightly. She obviously doesn't know what else to do with her hands, and that makes me smirk. I move one hand and carefully cup her breast with it, giving it a light squeeze. This time I get a louder moan out of her and I'm finding it harder and harder to contain myself. Maybe … maybe I should stop before we do something we might regret … even though this feels so good right now. I leave her stomach and move back up to kiss her lips again, this time in a soft kiss … "Maybe … we should stop for now … " I whisper. She opens her eyes and meets my gaze, then nods. She looks fine with my suggestion._

"Good morning, Light." Vanille's voice brings me back out of my thoughts. I can hear her footsteps coming closer and then she sits back down beside me. For now I don't look at her, I'm still quite fascinated by the pretty sunrise in front of me. "Morning."

A silence then hangs in the air. A comfortable one, I might add. I'm still not sure if I should talk to her about what happened yesterday. But I should figure this out before I continue with this task, right? I should focus on the ultimate goal and get rid of every distracting thought … and yesterday was a little distracting, I guess. At least I couldn't sleep because of it. To break the silence and maybe also to ease the mood I decide to say something that has nothing to do with us two: "You never told me that the sunrises here on Gran Pulse are so beautiful."

I hear a soft giggle beside me. A sound that could make me smile even in the darkest days when it comes from her. "My apologies … but this one today is exceptionally beautiful, to be honest." she replies. I finally can tear my gaze away from the horizon and look at her, only to find her smiling, and also staring into the far distance. Talking about exceptionally beautiful … she looks absolutely breathtaking right now. The bright light shining in her face, making her eyes sparkle and twinkle with the water in front of us. The light smile on her lips … those soft lips I kissed so long yesterday … this is driving me insane, I must confront her, I must ask her about this. "Hey … Vanille?"

She blinks and then turns her head to look at me, meadow green eyes meeting mine, eyebrows slightly raised, giving me her complete attention. My heart seems to be melting at this look and I start feeling all warm inside. What is she doing to me, seriously? This isn't normal …

I suddenly feel a hand on my cheek, a thumb slowly stroking the skin there, her look is reassuringly now. Can she read my thoughts? "What's up?" she asks in a gentle tone, matching her actions. I start growing nervous now. It is always hard to talk about stuff like this, but I must know. "Do you regret … uhm … what happened yesterday?" I ask her. I hate talking without preparing. I'd much rather form the sentences in my head first. But I can't hesitate with this conversation. For a reason I have the feeling that I don't have too much time left to ask her.

"No, of course not. Do you?" she asks in return. Her features turn worried, even though it's hardly visible. Since when did I get good at reading expressions? I reply without hesitation in order to stop her worrying: "Not one moment." I'm honest. For a weird reason she means something to me … she means a lot to me. Ever since I found her in that abandoned house, surrounded by monster that wanted to kill her. She gives me a broader smile this time, and she also looks relieved. Before I can say anything else I feel her lips on mine again in a short and soft kiss, almost catching me off guard. I don't complain, though, and kiss back until she pulls back again. A slight blush on her face and she's giggling. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."

"It's fine." I say, now also smiling. Maybe I should seriously stop thinking about any logic in my, her or our actions. They won't ever make sense. For the first time, after my parents' death, I feel content again. I have a task, protecting the younger girl I happen to have feelings for. And if Serah were here as well, I'd probably be the happiest person on Cocoon .. or Gran Pulse … but there's still something bothering me. "But what does this make us now? What is … _this_?" I motion my hand between her and me, trying to make her understand my question since I am at a lack of words.

She smiles again, taking my hand with both of hers and guides it to the place on her chest where her heart is situated. My eyes widen a little at this. "You should stop thinking so much and just let your heart continue to guide you. What do you think that it is that we have?" she says and puts her right hand onto the same place on my chest, holding my hand in place with her left one. I seriously don't know what to say. I feel overwhelmed with questions … no, scratch that, with feelings. Feelings that make no sense at all, but at the same time I just enjoy that I am feeling them. I hate to admit it, but … "You're right." I should stop thinking and for once enjoy my life. I smile … that girl gives me hope.

Suddenly I feel lightly tackled to the ground from the side and I fall on my back. Vanille straddles my waist. I look up at her with a puzzled face. "What was that for?"

The redhead giggles and then also pins down my hands, even though I didn't defend myself or anything. I have the feeling I'd let her do anything to me. Yes, she's _that_ special. "You didn't answer my question." she says, still grinning down at me.

I just raise an amused eyebrow at her and respond: "Neither did you." I then start wriggling my hands a little to get out of her grasp, but Vanille keeps me pinned down. "Answer me." she demands, now smirking mischievously. I continue my attempt to break free. I'm still not sure what to reply, I don't have an answer. She can't seriously ask for a reply now, can she? Vanille then giggles again and I try harder to get out of her grasp, without hurting her. I manage to get one hand free and my first action is to tickle her in order to let me go. She stays very persistent, though, and just laughs, trying to bend away from my hand and then manages to pin me down again, putting more pressure onto me so I'm having an even harder time to move. "I said, answer me."

I stop trying to break free as I realize I have my answer already. Looking into her eyes again it's as clear as glass. "You're special."

To this she looks a little surprised and she loosens her grip, almost as if she didn't expect this as a reply. I smile and move my hand, which is free again, to cup her cheek. "I don't know why, and I don't care anymore … but you're special to me. That matters." I tell her and then sit up. She gives me an even broader but very warm smile now and we kiss again, lingering for long moments and also getting our tongues involved.

After we break apart I say: "I hate to ruin the moment but … " The redhead shakes her head and continues for me: "I know, we gotta get moving again." She then finally – or unfortunately – gets up and off of me, even helping me up. Before we start walking back to the camp she grabs my uniform and pulls me in for one, last kiss. Yes, this was the right reply … she is special.

ooo

The chocobo we found yesterday was still around and we used it for transportation again. Vanille is quite convinced that it is a tamed one since it is practically seeking out our presence.

We also just now stopped again, it's afternoon and we were quite hungry. Lucky for us we ran into one of those Ceratosaurs again and with remarkable teamwork we managed to bring it down quickly. Vanille cooked another fabulous meal again, and now I'm resting up, my back leaned against a tree. The younger girl is currently climbing up a smaller rock, wanting to take a look at what is behind it.

I look up at her to make sure she's not about to fall down. "Be careful!" I call up to her, making her look back at me and giggle. "I am!" she replies and continues climbing. I watch her until she is up there, safe, then I ask: "Anything there?"

After a few moments of silence I can hear a gasp. "Yes!" I jump up on my feet, not expecting this reply at all. "I can see smoke!" she sounds excited. She then climbs down hastily from the rock and almost slips and falls at the last few feet, but I catch her.

"Hey, I said you should be careful. I don't want you to get hurt, especially now that we found something." I say, checking if she has any bruises or scratches, but it only makes the younger girl giggle again. The broad smile on her face makes her excitement even more visible. "I'm sorry, I'm just so glad right now!"

I put my arms on her shoulders and look into her eyes. I know she's happy and everything, but just seeing some smoke doesn't mean that there are actually people there. "Just don't get your hopes up too high, okay?"

She takes a deep breath and then nods. We talked about this before. I just don't want her to be disappointed when we don't find anything there. It might be a village, it might be a group of survivors, but it also might be a soldier's camp. I sure hope it's not Amodar and his people, I'll be dead. And I also don't want to think about my job right now. I want to make Vanille happy, that's my ultimate goal. And helping her is part of this goal.

I know she's trying to hide the disappointment right now, I can see it, so I decide to be a little more optimistic, and I reassure her: "We'll find your people. I promise."

"Yes!" she agrees with another smile and then cups my cheeks with her hands, her gaze suddenly turning very gentle and … lovingly. "Thank you, Lightning." she says in all honesty and gratefulness.

I smile. I must admit, I'm glad that I saved her. I'm glad that I decided to join her and help her find her people. Because without all that … "You're welcome." I reply.

She leans in again and kisses me, a lot more passionately than in the morning. I start moving forward until her back is pressed up against the tree. She grabs my jacket and pulls me in even closer, so that my body is pressed up flush against hers, not leaving any space in between us. I smirk into the kiss at that and I boldly settle my hands on her butt, giving it a squeeze which, in return, gets me a cute but muffled moan from her.

Because without all that … I wouldn't have felt like this … I wouldn't have known what it feels like to fall … to fall in … "Vanille … " I say, shutting off my mind, letting my heart completely take over. When we lock gazes I see her green eyes are a deeper shade right now, probably from arousal, but I still have her attention. "Vanille, I love- "

"Get your filthy hands off of her, you _viper_!" I suddenly hear another voice. A huskier woman's voice with a similar accent to Vanille's. We both turn to look at the person who just interrupted the probably most intimate moment I have ever been in, which, frankly, pisses me off right now. The woman is slightly taller than I am, she has dark hair, and sort of a blue sari, which is held together with a belt around her waist, and she is holding a double-bladed spear which she is pointing straight at me right now. Clearly, she is a Gran Pulse inhabitant, when she calls me viper.

"Fang!" I hear Vanille exclaiming beside me, and I can practically see her smile and feel her relief. So we did find survivors. This is the person Vanille always talked about. And she seems less than pleased to see me, a soldier from Cocoon.

"Get over here, Vanille. Let me deal with her." the dark haired woman orders, her gaze still fixed on me. The redhead then walks a few steps away and starts: "No, Fang, you don't understand, she- "

But the other woman doesn't seem to care and as soon as Vanille is a few feet away from me, she strikes. Luckily I have very quick reflexes and I draw my gunblade to block the incoming blow. I think I heard something crack inside of me and I grit my teeth. Damn, that woman is strong. I shove her back with all my force and get into a fighting stance. This is going to be more difficult than I thought.

"Fang, stop it! She is stronger than you! She's a soldier! Listen to me!" Vanille tries again, but it doesn't even seem to reach the other woman. She darts at me again, swinging her lance almost gracefully, knowing exactly how to handle the weapon. I have to play it safe and can only dodge a her attempts, leaving me no time to strike back, but then I feel a sharp pain in my stomach, and I fly back, as if the wind was striking me. I sink to the ground, holding the spot that was just injured, and I can taste something metallic. Blood. How did she manage this? And what the heck was this?

I hear a devilish chuckle from above me. "They could send out their whole army. It's nothing a l'Cie can't handle." the woman named Fang says. L'Cie? Oh no … this wasn't an ordinary strike right now … this was magic. She isn't an ordinary human … at least not anymore. I heard l'Cie are chosen, they get inhuman strength and the ability to cast spells. It fits …

"You're a l'Cie?!" I hear a shocked exclamation from the redhead, then a chuckle and a reply from Fang. "You knew I was going to volunteer to become one."

I suddenly hear hasty footsteps coming closer and then gentle hands on my back. "Lightning … are you okay?"

"Get away from her, Vanille, you know what we do with the _vipers_!" Fang stretches the last word, as if it were something disgusting. "But maybe we should take this one hostage in order to get some more information."

I turn my head to look into Vanille's concerned face. This isn't over … but for now … I'm beat. I give her a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad you're back with your people." It came out more as a whisper, but Vanille herd me. I'm having a hard time talking, since the dark haired woman literally knocked all of the air out of my lungs. "Light … hold on … we'll make this happen." she whispers back, making sure that Fang didn't hear her. The next thing I feel is a sharp pain on the back of my head and the world turns black.

**A/N:** Bad Fang! Bad, bad Fang! Just when Lightning was about to confess, you had to show up? *sigh* … xD

I'm sorry guys, but this had to come, right? I actually planned on putting in Fang a little earlier, but I thought … I should grant our two main characters a chapter, with lots and lots of fluff (I know, it's way too much fluff … but … but … they're so cuuute!) before big meanie Fang shows up and knocks Lightning out cold. There are only a few chapters left for this one, like I already mentioned, but a new one will be posted as soon as this one is finished ;) (and it's definitely going to be a long one, I promise!)

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it ^^ leave your thoughts =)


	6. Together

**A/N:** Yay for another chapter =D and yay, after I overcame my short block I managed to write this quite quickly and it was A LOT of fun! I managed to not make this one ultra-fluffy, and you get a little bit of Fang in it as well ^^ but there will still be enough Lanille-cuteness in it!

Weee, so many great reviews for the last chapter, THANK YOU and **SHOUT OUTS** to all of you! (**Lightarcana**, **Major Mike Powell III**, **jacques0**, **Goobah**, **HBHound**, **MurasakinoMonogatari**, **Yunner**, **Sick leave**, and **mooncanvas**) … You know you guys keep me going! (you rock!)

Oh, and I can't agree more … FANG, WHY DID YOU INTERRUPT?!

Happy reading now =)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Together

I hear faint voices … I can't really make out what they are saying … and I feel like the earth is moving in weird angles … I try to open my eyes … I barely manage … the only thing I see is grass and dirt … and it seems to be moving … is the grass moving?

"Fang, you gotta listen!"

That voice … that pleading and sad voice … it sounds so familiar …

"Fang, please!"

Of course … that was Vanille … looks like she's alright. I can also hear footsteps now. They're everywhere … looks like … I'm being carried or something … I try to move … but I don't have that much control over my body yet … the only thing I can do is listen … and watch the grass move …

"No, Vanille! She's got you brainwashed or something. You will rest up in the camp, then we can talk."

The deeper voice again … that Fang person … that … l'Cie … she sounds angry …

"And what happened to your arm?! Did she hit you?! Did she try to cut it off with that toothpick of hers?!"

Who does she think she is … calling my sword a toothpick … I swear to Etro, when I regain my strength I will show her what this toothpick is capable of …

"No! I was attacked, back in Oerba, by a Gorgonopsid! She saved me, Fang! She took care of the wound!"

Yes, I did … and I am so glad that I found her back then … I hear Fang talking back … but I can't make out the words … even though I'm trying so hard … my consciousness is fading once more … my vision turns black again …

ooo

_I'm running. Running through a dark place. There's junk everywhere. Junk I can't identify. Large pieces, old and rusted machineries, pieces of cars, planes, ships. I've been here before. I know this place. It looks familiar …_

_Guardian Corps soldiers are running along with me. Guns in their hands, ready to shoot. But … where are we running? And … what are we supposed to be shooting?_

"_I can't believe they made it into the Vile Peaks!" one of the soldiers says. That's it! The Vile Peaks. The place where junk from Pulse is gathering. But who is he talking about? What is going on? I open my mouth to say something, but in this moment I see a glimpse of red in the corner of my eye … and I stop, while the soldiers keep on running. But I don't care about them._

_I turn my head to spot a familiar person. She's not wearing a uniform, but the outfit she's been wearing for the last few days. Her red locks are bouncing softly on her shoulder. She's skipping through this dark and miserable, not to mention dead landscape as if it were a pretty meadow. "Vanille!" I call out to her._

_She stops and turns around, greeting me with a broad smile to which I immediately feel relieved. But my features turn hard again and my body tenses as I see a dark figure right behind her. "Watch out!" I yell … too late. A hand presses hard against the redhead's mouth, her eyes widen in shock and fear. She's struggling to break free from this dark figure, but they are simply too strong._

"_Sergeant Farron! Let us help you with this Pulsians!" soldiers suddenly appear beside me. A deep and throaty chuckle can be heard from the black person. They lift their hand high up in the air. Sparks are erupting from the hand and they easily take down all the soldiers beside me. "No!" I shout. I try to move but it's like my feet are stuck, or too heavy. I try to move my hands and arms to aim my gunblade at this person, but it's the same as with my feet. I can't move them._

"_Aw, stuck, are ya?" the black figure has a voice … a teasing one … a familiar one … "Show yourself!" I demand, fletching my teeth. Vanille lets out a sound of terror, muffled by the hand pressing against her mouth, and the figure chuckles again before stepping into some ray of light …_

_Fang … I knew it … "Let her go!" I shout over to her, my voice firm and loud. The dark haired woman smirks at me, but her gaze is ice cold, threatening … vicious … and dead serious. "Why don't you come and get her?" she simply asks._

_I feel the blood boiling in my veins while anger washes over me. I try hard to move, so hard that I begin to sweat, but my body just won't respond. Not in the slightest. "Damn you!" I curse at her. Whatever she did so I can't move … she will pay once I can free myself!_

"_Oh, and Sergeant Farron … " she stretches my title and name, the smirk on her face growing even wider, " … I have a surprise for you." What is she talking about?_

_Suddenly another person appears. That person is kneeling right beside Fang, tied up, not able to move, struggling to break free. As I take a closer look my eyes widen in horror and I feel all the blood leaving my veins. It's a girl … blue eyes … pink hair … just like mine … "Serah!"_

_Fang's devilish laugh echoes in my head loudly. I close my eyes tightly and then open them again …_

ooo

"Serah!" I call out. But she's not there. Neither is Vanille. And I'm not even in the Vile Peaks. I'm in a tent, it's dead quiet, and it's night time … it's almost pitch black inside, though I can make out the outlines of objects. My legs, arms and hands are tied up, so I'm unable to move. I feel a sharp pain in the lower right side of my stomach, it's where that mad woman hit me with her magic. I see that my stomach is bandaged, though, and I'm not wearing my uniform jacket. Scanning the room shortly, I find it. It's lying on the ground in one corner of the tent, along with my gunblade and the pouch I usually wear around my left thigh.

"Who's Serah?" I hear a voice from beside me, and I swiftly turn my head to look at the person. Even though I couldn't see her face properly, I know it's Fang, her voice is still ringing in my head. Just right now, it sounds almost gentle. I frown at her. "None of your business." I reply in a cold tone. I'm so glad that it was only a dream. Serah is safe … at home, on Cocoon.

Fang just shrugs, not seeming interested anyways. I sigh and return my gaze to the floor … this fight … it must stop … if the Pulse inhabitants really manage to invade Cocoon, Serah might be in danger. I cannot let this happen! Vanille and I we … we must stop this … this _war_ … this fear of Gran Pulse …

I see movement in the corner of my eye and turn my head again. The dark haired woman just stood up and is walking closer to me. She stops right in front of me and crouches down, so that we're almost at eye-level. I just glare at her.

"Tell me, _viper_ … " she almost spits the last word with disgust, making clear she disapproves of me, "What is the stupid Cocoon Army's business on our land?"

"Tch … that information is classified." I retort, regretting it immediately when I feel a sharp pain on my cheek, where Fang just hit me with her spear. I grit my teeth. I won't give in that easily. "You want to try this again?" she demands, her tone now annoyed.

I decide to avoid the question. "Can I speak to Vanille?" My question makes her growl a very low growl. It does sound threatening, but I'm not afraid of her. "Please." I add, almost sarcastically. Instantly I feel Fang's spear colliding with my cheek again, on the same spot. This time I feel a warm liquid running down my face … blood …

"You won't see anyone before you answer my question, you scum!" she threatens, sounding more annoyed by the second. I sigh … what choice do I have? Tell her and try to convince her that I'm – more or less – on her side, or at least trying to stop the war … or die because she will chop my head off if she keeps hitting me like that.

"Fine … " I finally give in, not wanting to mess up my face anymore. "I will tell you."

"Good choice." she says, sitting down in front of me, giving me her attention, but still wearing an annoyed frown, and she's clutching her weapon tightly.

"I don't know how or why … but some time ago gates from Gran Pulse started to appear on Cocoon. And through these gates came monsters from your land. Our Sanctum's orders to prevent these monsters from coming are simple; go through the gates and kill every living thing in sight." there's really nothing more to tell, or go into detail. I don't think that Fang wants to know that much more.

She raises an annoyed but also suspicious eyebrow at me. "That's it?" she asks, not quite sounding like she believes me. I just nod as a reply. She shakes her head and snorts. "So the reason you're attacking Gran Pulse is because you're paranoid?"

"Looks like it." I reply, looking at my feet. Yes, I've come to the same conclusion. Cocoon is paranoid. Always afraid that some lower world would invade. When I think about it now, I never had to save one citizen from a Pulse creature. I sigh again … great … so the Sanctum really started this because of some stupid paranoia. I should've seen this earlier …

Fang chuckles softly all of a sudden which makes me look back up at her. Even her features have softened a little. "I can't say that Gran Pulse is any different … we were always afraid of Cocoon, the 'floating nest of vipers' … we never knew if or when you'd attack, so we prepared for a battle, so we'd be ready when you attacked." Her gaze then turns serious again, and her voice a lot firmer when she continues: "And this should be a warning to you … you might have caught a few of us off guard, but our best soldiers are waiting. I'm not the only l'Cie around here. You can tell that to your Generals."

I have to smirk shortly at this … "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I doubt that I can do that." She frowns in confusion, so I continue to explain: "I neglected my task to destroy life on this planet to continue my task of protecting people."

Her look is still confused. "Care to explain this a little further?"

I nod, my features turning serious. "When I heard from Vanille that we destroyed villages and families because they were overrun by monsters who's habitats we destroyed, I knew I couldn't continue attacking this land. When I completed my training as a soldier I vowed to protect the people of Cocoon, not to go out and kill. And if protecting them means preventing this upcoming war from happening, then so be it."

Her eyes bore into mine as I tell her this, desperately searching for something. "And why should I believe you, viper?"

Again I smirk and reply: "I helped Vanille to return to you, didn't I?" Fang's eyes twitch at this. And sick of being called viper I add: "And my name is Lightning."

The remark makes the other woman growl again. "I will call you whatever I want, viper." She pauses again to take a short breathe, looks like she's trying to ease her nerves and to not freak out on me instantly. "Why did you help Vanille in first place?"

"I already told you. I didn't come here to kill people or destroy families. I spotted Vanille back in Oerba and tried to talk to the lieutenant to investigate a little further, but he wouldn't listen to me … so I investigated on my own, and I found her, wounded in a house. I couldn't just let her die like this." It pains me to think back on a blood-covered Vanille. I still get a look of disbelief from Fang. "You helped her at the risk of losing your job … just like that?"

"Yes." I reply, honestly. Yes, I did … for the most illogical reason in my life, I did …

"But … why?" Fang still doesn't understand … I don't either, but I don't care anymore. I am aware of my feelings, and I won't deny them. "Because I fell in love with her."

The other woman's eyes widen at my honesty. But I hold her gaze. I am sincere about this … with all my heart.

Fang snorts and shakes her head again, then stands up. She points to my stomach with her lance and says: "I'll have someone take care of this … " I look at the wound which was stinging the whole time, blood is seeping through the bandages. Great …

The dark haired woman is walking to the exit of the tent, but stops shortly, looking back at me and telling me: "We'll talk again soon … Lightning." My eyebrows shoot up, surprised. She just … she just called me Lightning. Does this mean … she believes me? "Tch … " I doubt it … I sigh a long sigh before closing my eyes …

ooo

I don't know how long I sat there, dozing a little, trying to bare the growing pain in my stomach. It could've been hours, it could've been minutes. I guess it is the latter, though, because Fang said she'll send someone to take care of my wound. I look up as I see the entrance of the tent shifting.

A curious and worried pair of eyes is peeking into the tent, and I can even make out red hair in the darkness. I feel immediately relieved, looking into those eyes. "Vanille … " I breathe out, even smiling at her. As soon as she spots me she quickly enters the tent and darts over to me. She falls on her knees right in front of me and throws her arms around my neck, squeezing me tightly. "Lightning!"

I breathe in her sweet scent … even in this short while I already missed it. It feels so good seeing her, holding her … or well, being held by her … I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders …

"Are you okay?" she asks when she pulls back to look into my eyes again. Those meadow green eyes I could get lost in every day. "I'm fine." I'm fine when you're with me …

"Fang said that your wound reopened." she says, immediately looking to my stomach, and her look turns concerned again as she sees the blood. "It's just a little scratch." I try to calm her nerves … and take myself into it, because it actually hurts. But I won't be weak in front of her. Never.

"Don't be silly, Light. I will fix this up for you." Vanille then takes the pieces of cloth she also brought, and some herbs I've never seen before. "You don't have to do this … " I say. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable with all this bloody mess on my stomach.

She then gives me one of the cutest smiles she's ever smiled, making my heart melt right there. She cups my face with one hand, letting her thumb stroke over my cheek, which was not injured by Fang's spear, a few times, before replying in a soft tone: "Hey … you've done so much for me, even though you didn't have to … let me do something for you in return, because I want to."

I can't help but smile at those kind words. Nobody has ever made me feel such feelings before. Vanille then leans in, gently pressing her lips against mine … and it feels like all of my problems are just melting away with this simple kiss … but unfortunately the sensation doesn't last long, Vanille pulls back again.

The younger redhead then starts getting rid of the dirty bandage, revealing a gash, which Fang obviously made with her sharp wind magic. When it's completely removed she wipes away most of the fresh blood and warns me: "The herbs will help quickly, but they will also sting a little." I just nod as a reply. I doubt that they can hurt more than the wound is, right now … Vanille then takes her prepared cloth with the herbs and presses it against the wound. I bite my lower lip at the contact … the herbs burn like fire … but I will stay strong … and I trust Vanille.

"Are you okay?" she asks, her look very concerned again. When I nod my head she starts fixing up the wound, with wrapping another piece of cloth around my waist which should hold the one with the herbs in place, making sure it won't just open like that. "Thank you." I say, honestly. I am very grateful for her help. She sits down right in front of me, placing her hands on my thighs, looking deeply into my eyes. "I'm sorry, Lightning … "

I tilt my head slightly to the side. "For what?"

"That Fang attacked you … and that you're tied up now … I didn't even know she was made a l'Cie … " she tells me, taking another piece of cloth and starts wiping away the blood from my cheek now as well. I shake my head, wanting to reach out for her face, wanting to stroke over her cheek reassuringly, wanting to push those bangs out of her face … but instead I just say: "It's not your fault."

"I tried to talk some sense into Fang … but she still thinks that you got me brainwashed." Her look is sad as she tells me this, and she shortly averts her gaze to the side. "She wouldn't believe me … no matter what I told her … not even when I told her that I … that I … " she trails off, biting her lower lip, she seems to be fighting back tears, her voice is shaky … she's struggling with something …

I try to encourage her: "That you what?" Another moment passes before she turns to look into my eyes again, her gaze dead-serious and determined. "I love you, Lightning." she says, her tone mirroring her features.

I'm surprised … even shocked a little. For a reason I didn't expect her to have the same feelings that I have for her. But then I smile the warmest smile I ever smiled, feeling completely overwhelmed, and despite the fact that I'm in a bad situation right now, I feel happy. Because the person I fell in love with loves me back. "I love you, too, Vanille."

Together … together we can make it …

**A/N:** ah, finally, it's out … ^_^ the power of love, will it help these two stop the fighting and the paranoia? Will it help Fang realize that she should stop hitting Lightning with her spear?

Leave your thoughts!


	7. Chosen

**A/N:** It's been a while since I updated, but in my defense … I had a block! … okay, it's not the best excuse, I know … but here is chapter seven! Many thanks to my readers, to all the kind reviews I got for chapter 6 and also for the favs I got! You guys rock =D Happy reading now!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game, Final Fantasy XIII, or the characters used in this story! They all belong to Square Enix.

**Storm Driven**

a Final Fantasy XIII Fanfiction. (slightly) OOC, (slightly) AU, Lanille

Chosen

I smile at Vanille. This confession just now … it was overwhelming. And for a split second I feel nothing but happy. And only for a split second, because as soon as I want to move again I realize that I'm still tied up. Damn …

I hear flapping at the tent's entrance and realize that we're not alone anymore. Vanille turns around to look at the person, I just raise my head. It's Fang again. Arms crossed and her spear secured on her back. Her face shows mixed emotions.

" 'Nille, I think you should go now." the woman with the dark hair says, nodding her head into the tent's exit's direction. Her voice is soft, but still demanding. Vanille's head sinks a little. "Fang, please just let me stay a- "

"No." the other woman cuts the young beauty off, her tone a little harsher. "I think you said enough." I frown. My hand twitches, I want to get up and protect her. Fang has no right to talk to her like this. It makes me angry …

"Were you eavesdropping?" I ask her, my voice as cold as my glare. It only earns me a raised eyebrow from the dark haired woman. "I was just checking if Vanille wasn't helping you to escape, viper. So, no, I wasn't."

"Her _name_ is _Lightning_!" Vanille's tone is suddenly firm, even protective. She is standing up, placing herself in between me and Fang. She is brave … for both of us. Fang averts her gaze to look at the redhead, her features only hardly soften as she looks at her long-term friend. "I will call her whatever I want to." she growls.

"And I will stay!" Vanille retorts with an equally stern voice. I'm impressed, she even stands up to her friend she's been telling me quite much about, who she respects and honors. I … I feel important … at least to her. And I can feel that she really wants to stop this war … and she wants to make Fang understand.

The raven haired woman rolls her eyes and shrugs. "Fine, but I will stay, too. I won't leave you alone with her for too long, Vanille." she warns, but the redhead seems to visibly relax. Looks like a way to get through to Fang is Vanille … I make a mental note of that.

The redhead sits back down beside me, she slowly and carefully places a hand on my shoulder. She starts stroking up and down my upper arm, giving me a slight feeling of reassurance, which I appreciate. Fang watches her every move extremely cautiously, as if the redhead would try to help me escape, or I don't know what's running through that woman's head.

Long moments of silence hang in the air. Uncomfortable silence. And the air is thick, I feel like I could cut it with my blade. The raven haired woman suddenly shifts and Vanille and I turn our heads to look at what she is doing … she's just sitting down. I sigh quietly. I was hoping she would get out of the tent again …

I look at the redhead again. She looks uncomfortable and sad, a deep frown is covering her beautiful face. She's absentmindedly staring at the bandage around my waste. I think back at my fight with Fang and how I got that gush in first place … magic … I throw a glare in Fang's direction. She's a l'Cie … a warrior chosen by some higher being or force to fight. She's granted extra strength and the ability to use magic … wait a minute, I remember reading that l'Cie have an ultimate goal … a focus, that they have to fulfill, otherwise something bad happens.

Now I'm curious. What is her focus? "Hey … uh … Fang?" I ask for the woman's attention. She just throws me an annoyed look. "What?"

"You're a l'Cie, right?"

"Yeah, so? You already know that." she replies, her tone even more annoyed than her expression.

I simply nod. "And l'Cie have a focus … right?" I continue my questionnaire. Her brows furrows. "What are you getting to, viper?"

"Yes, l'Cie have a focus." Vanille is the one to answer. She throws Fang a look, who in return gives the younger girl a rather threatening look now, then she averts her gaze to look at me again, knowing that this was not my final question. I ask it a little more carefully: "What … is your focus?"

Fang snorts. "That's absolutely none of your business!" she replies, shaking her head. I sigh. Of course she won't tell me. Why would she? If I knew her focus I could hinder her from fulfilling it and she would … damn, I forgot what happens to l'Cie who fail to fulfill their focus … something bad would happen to her.

"She wouldn't even tell me." Vanille informs me. I meet the redhead's gaze again with mine. Her usually shimmering green eyes are a little hazy now, they're sad and even disappointed. Fang groans at the redhead's sad tone. Tch … she must feel bad for not telling her friend.

"You might as well guess what my focus is. It's not that hard to figure out." she replies, almost in a low growl.

"Fight the Cocoon army?" my question is almost rhetorical. A nod from Fang indicates that I'm right. I look away from her again, biting my teeth together in anger. She's right … it was not hard to guess … but … this war … it has to stop … just how? Maybe we can still convince Fang to help us, even though her focus is to fight.

"What happens if a l'Cie fails to fulfill their focus?" I ask. I have to know it, at least then I can know whether Fang can be convinced or not. I look at both of them, hoping one of them will answer me. Vanille just looks away, seeming very uncomfortable with the question. Fang replies in an angry voice: "They turn Cie'th. A creature damned to wander the world unliving and undying in sorrow and regret. With no hope of salvation."

My mouth falls slightly agape at the new information … wow … she must be really sure of her focus … or desperate to win this fight for her country. Or both …

"I still don't understand why you were so stupid and volunteered to be a l'Cie!" Vanille snaps at her old friend. I didn't even know that you could volunteer to be a l'Cie … apparently, down here, everything is possible. Fang now also raises her voice: "Listen, Vanille, I didn't- "

"Captain Fang, bad news!" a man almost falls into the tent, interrupting the dark haired woman. "What?" she snaps and gets up again, prepared for everything. The man continues: "There's smoke not too far away, and weird lights! Looks like a Cocoon Army camp is on our tracks!"

My eyes widen. No! Not yet! It's too early! I … _we_ haven't come up with a plan yet to convince the soldiers!

Fang tenses visibly but nods. "Gather the camp! We have to get to the hills, then maybe we can attack while having a height advantage." she orders. The man salutes to her and leaves the tent again. Shouting can immediately be heard and I can feel that everybody seems to be turbulent outside.

"You two, get up as well." Fang commands us as well. Vanille looks frightened, but does what her friend tells her to. The dark haired woman walks over to me and starts untying all the ropes, even those around my hands. What the … ? "You'll help me disassemble this tent." she says in a firm tone, "And no stupid tricks. I won't let you out of my sight, viper."

I just nod as a reply. I wouldn't know what to do anyways. Run away, sure. But where to? Without Vanille? To the camp of soldiers who'd probably also kill me or take me hostage? No thanks, I'd rather just help her with that stupid tent. I sigh and then get to work …

ooo

It's still in the middle of the night, and dark outside. It didn't take us long to completely disassemble the tent. I also helped them getting the heavier parts tied to their tamed Chocobos. They have a few, obviously they're keeping them to help them transport all the tents and equipment.

Right now, I'm being tied up again. At least, Fang is starting to tie ropes around my arms and hands again. "You'll walk with us. No complaining, and no slowing us down, you hear me?" she warns with gritted teeth. I inwardly roll my eyes, but just reply: "Sure … "

And they let me walk right on the very edge and end, a little further away from the large group of people. I figure there are quite a lot of survivors, but Vanille said earlier that a few died or are still missing, just like her. But each of Cocoon's army camps would outnumber those guys. On the other hand, with those wicked l'Cie, who knows how powerful they are?

I think back to the dream I had, where the Pulsians invaded Cocoon … this must not happen in real life!

Fang is walking right next to me, her spear in her hand, and I can feel her eyes on me without even looking at her. Vanille is quietly walking on my other side. Ever since we came here she seems so sad and disappointed. I'm not exactly sure why, but probably because her closest friend won't even believe her. From what I remember, Fang means a lot to her, as she was always talking so fondly of her.

"Hey, Fang … " the redhead next to me breaks the silence. I listen to their conversation. "Hm?"

"What is the exact route?"

"Through the woods up this hill. You know this route, Vanille." Fang replies, her voice a little confused. But I am as well, Vanille seems like she's up to something. I look at her now, too.

"I know that there's one of Etro's Shrines in the woods." the redhead continues. I see Fang nodding in the corner of my eyes, and the younger girl asks: "Can we go there? … Please?"

And what does she want to do there? Pray? I really don't know if Etro will listen to us, especially us two.

I look at Fang again, who is tapping a finger against her chin, actually giving Vanille's request a thought. "I don't know, Vanille. I doubt that the people will still want to pray to Etro, when all of the praying from them, for the war not to happen, failed."

The redheaded beauty beside me lets out a small sigh, but she doesn't give up. "Then let's just sneak away when we rest in the woods?" she pleads, "Please, Fang! I want to go there!"

A sigh now comes from the raven haired woman beside me. She hesitantly answers: "I'll see what I can do … " to which Vanille finally seems to cheer up a bit. She giggles shortly and then suddenly grabs on to my arm, slightly pressing herself up against it. The heat of her body makes a warm feeling spread through me as well. She makes me feel … safe.

"Will you pray with me, Light?" she asks me in a very quiet whisper, obviously not wanting Fang to hear what she is saying. I look at her pleading eyes. Those deep, green eyes I could never resist. I nod shortly, which indicates a radiant smile from Vanille. A smile that makes my heart jump. Maybe the goddess will listen to our prayers …

ooo

After hours of marching throughout the whole night, we finally reached that forest. I realized that a lot of people were complaining that they're tired and their feet hurt. Not all of them are soldiers, some seem to be regular civilians, who are not used to extreme conditions like this one. And there are also younger children. I wonder if we can manage to escape the Cocoon soldiers at this pace. I still need time to think.

They didn't build up any tents because we should press on after a short while of resting. Fang tied me up to a tree, so I'm unable to move again. I sigh … how should we convince Fang to help us … maybe Vanille can talk some sense into her … the older woman seems like she's in a strong position, in one that could help us all along.

"Hey, Light … " I hear a soft voice. I look up to look at Vanille, who is just approaching me again. "Are you alright?" she asks me. I nod. "Sure … "

"How about your wound?" her voice shows concern. "It's fine, don't worry about it." I reply and try to give her a reassuring smile. To my luck, she smiles back at me, then starts untying my feet. "Vanille, what are you doing?"

"Fang promised to sneak away to Etro's Shrine with me, remember?" she tells me while working at the tight knot in the rope. I nod and she continues: "I convinced her that you should come, too." The ropes around my feet loosen and she helps me stand up. My hands, unfortunately, have to stay tied up. "I want to pray together with you, Lightning … "

The younger redhead wraps her arms around my body, careful not to put too much pressure on the gash on my stomach. She gently lays her head on my chest. I really wish I could hug her back … hold her safely in my arms, let her know that I won't let anything or anyone hurt her. But all I can do is stand there … at least I can lay my head on hers, a little sign to show her that I appreciate the hug. When she pulls back she locks gazes with me. Her look is determined, but still a little frightened. I close my eyes and press my lips against her forehead in a soft kiss, taking in her sweet scent at the same time … hmm … I missed this. When I straighten back up I tell her: "We will stop that war, Vanille. Together we will stop it."

Her eyes light up and a happy and relieved smile forms on her lips. "Yes!" she exclaims before she starts guiding me away from the camp.

The trees in this forest look a lot more familiar to me than those large trees on the steppe. They don't have leaves, but needles. Long needles, and very, very long trunks before they divide into thick branches. And the trees are standing together very close by one another, so the moment we lay foot in this forest we were shielded from the outside. The soldiers will have a hard time finding us here. And if we really walk up that hill later, the Pulsians will seriously have an advantage with fighting. Even though I hope it won't get that far …

Fang is waiting for us somewhere in between the trees. She has her arms crossed and is tapping her foot impatiently. When she spots us she calls over: "Hurry up, we don't have much time!"

I'm surprised that Fang actually agreed to do this … maybe Vanille is finally getting through to her … I sigh ... let's just see what happens when we pray to the goddess … I gotta admit, I never really believed in praying or wishing on fireworks or something like this … but this time, I'm just hoping that it works, because I really don't know how two people can possibly stop a war …

"I'm just taking you with us because I personally want to have an eye on you, viper." Fang says with a warning tone. Of course she wants to …

After minutes of jogging through the forest we arrive at a small clearing. A very small clearing which can be easily missed if you don't know its exact position. And in this clearing there is a stone building, which is covered in so much moss, and plants are growing along its walls, that it blends in with the trees. It's easy to run past it.

Inside the building it is a lot cooler than outside because of the thick stone walls. There are a few benches which are ordered neatly in two rows, and there's no light inside. Only a sunray that is shining through a hole in the roof, directly onto a statue … a statue of Etro. This whole building looks like a church … a shrine maybe. It's frightening and fascinating at the same time. And it has a strong aura. An aura I have never felt before when I was in our temples or churches. I've never been to a place like this one before.

We walk into the room, and halt right in front of the large, stone replica of the goddess. Fang points out to one of the benches. "Sit down there and don't move! I will know when you do." she orders. I shoot her a look for the tone she used, but sit down anyways and then watch them.

Vanille kneels down right in front of the statue, crossing her fingers in a – for me – unknown praying gesture. She looks up at the statue expectantly, then faces the floor and closes her eyes again.

"Oh mighty Etro … " the young girl speaks up, "hear our prayers … please … help us stop the upcoming war between Cocoon and Pulse … " She pauses shortly to take a deep breath, "Powerful Etro … please, keep them from fighting … bring peace to both nations … "

Silence. I only hear Fang shifting from one foot to the other. What were we even expecting? Someone to show up who will help us with all our problems? I doubt that will happen. I avert my gaze from the statue to look at Vanille again. She has her eyes shut tightly, silently praying to the goddess she worships. She looks frustrated, miserable … and a tear is running down her cheek. The sight is heartbreaking! I should do something! I want to help!

Despite Fang's warning I get up from the hard bench and I kneel down on one knee right beside Vanille. I bow my head and close my eyes …

"Etro … stop the slaughtering of innocents by the hands of the Cocoon warriors. They don't know better because of our corrupt system. Stop the useless fighting! Please, Etro, hear our prayers … " I speak … it's the best I can come up with …

I suddenly see something dimly shining right next to the statue of the goddess. "What … ?" It looks like … a stone? A floating stone?

"She heard us!" Vanille exclaims, she jumps up and walks over to the glowing and floating thing. "What is this?" I ask, also walking closer to it.

"It's a Cie'th stone … this is what l'Cie become first when they failed to fulfill their focus, before they turn into monsters … but this one seems a little different." the redhead explains to me. She stretches out her hand, touching the stone. The thing immediately starts shining a lot brighter. Instantly I step right in front of Vanille. If this thing wants to attack us, it should attack me first, I will protect her, even with tied up arms!

But it doesn't attack. No … some foreign symbols are appearing in front of it. it's like the thing is projecting them.

"_Have no fear, human._ It says … " Vanille tells me. She can read it? Then it must be written in Pulsian letters … "It seems like Etro is communicating with us through this stone!" the younger girl notices, this time stepping in front of me for a change.

The letters then change. "_There is an unbalance between Cocoon and Gran Pulse, and it was triggered by an evil fal'Cie. This is why the war started. The fight between the two nations weakens my powers because the harmony is broken, and the evil fal'Cie is gaining power. It wants to usurp me. You, who both still carry this harmony inside of you, must help to restore the peace. And it is the focus of the one, chosen l'Cie, to make sure that nothing gets in your way._"

"An evil fal'Cie?" I repeat. What does this all mean? And was it Vanille's and my destiny to meet?

"_All three of you together should be able to stop the war. When the nations are at peace again, when I regain my strength and the evil fal'Cie is weakened, then I can get rid of this one fal'Cie who disturbs the harmony. All I need from you is to stop the war._"

After Vanille read out the last word the stone stops glowing again and it slowly descends until it's laying on the ground again as if nothing ever happened. I keep staring at it.

"But how?" Vanille asks. "How should we stop the war?!" She gets no response. The stone remains a stone, cold and lifeless. She tries touching it again. "Please, tell us how to stop it!" I can hear her voice cracking. She's desperate … it pains me to hear her like this.

When Vanille turns around to face me, her eyes are watery, a frown is covering her face. I want to comfort her, but I don't know what to say. I am as clueless as she is. "We'll figure it out." I reassure her, which makes a small smile appear on her face. She raises her hand to cup my cheek and strokes over it a few times. This gesture even makes me smile.

"Just … who is the chosen l'Cie?" I ask, but the question only gets me a shrug from Vanille.

A deep sigh comes from Fang, who has been unusually quiet the whole time. We both turn to look at her. She's sitting on one of the benches, leaning on her spear. She looks troubled, almost as if she's struggling to say something. "Fang, what's wrong?" Vanille asks, her voice concerned.

Fang then looks up at her childhood friend, now with a blank expression. Her gaze shifts to me, then back to Vanille. She takes a short breath before saying: "I was hoping I was wrong, but right at the same time … I am the l'Cie you're looking for."

What?!

**A/N:** Fang, you bastard, how could you have kept it a secret from Light and Vanille? Well, I think she has a lot of explaining to do in the next chapter, what do you guys think? ;) Leave your thoughts!


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